- 120 
M36 
:opv 1 



ROCHESTER and its 
EARLY CANAL DAYS 

By 
CAPT. H. P. MARSH 




Type of Rochester Built Bullhead Boat " The Omvard:' 
Captain Delos Pol ley of St . Paul Street, /Rochester, A'. }'. 



Reminiscences of the Author 



Price, 25 Cents. 



1914 



ROCHESTER and its 
EARLY CANAL DAYS 

Reminiscences of the /Author, while engaged 

on the New York State JVaterways^ the 

Erie, Genesee Valley, Black River, 

and other lateral canals. 




FHE LAST KNOWN ACTOR :,%. THt H^QSON RIVER MYSTERY 



KV 



^^ 



By CAPT. H/ P. MARSH 

1914 






Dedicated to the Foster /\r rents of the Author 
They -were true friends to the Orphan Hoy. 



OCTil 1914 

Cn/>yin:/i' 1911. hy H. /'. MaisJi. 

©CI.A;i87:M)3 



PREFACE. 




HIS is not a liiston- of the New York State 
canals, l)ut recollections of the writer while 

T engaged in the transportation business on those 

waters, although some history will he quoted 
for the benefit of those not familiar witii its 
earl}^ chronicles. 

It is what the author has seen through his 
own experience, and heard recounted by others. 
The exact dates cannot be given in all in- 
stances, as no diary was kept, but I think this 
account in i)lain words, hx one familiar with 
the circumstances, will be more interesting and 
truthful than a more noted author's history who 
had no experience or way of getting it, only through old musty records. 
The truth will be adhered to, for my motto will be. "what to say", 
and not "how to say it". Those acquainted with the early days of 
canal history will be m\ witnesses of its truthfulness. 

The romance which it contains is true it its ever\- detail, nothing 
lictitious but the names, nor would they be, only that some of the 
actors and their families are still living, the author being one of them, 
and proving the old adage that "Truth is stranger than fiction". 

The romance or story was brought about by two men who for 
twenty-eight vears believed each had murdered the other. Can the 
reader even faintly imagine the reaction occurring in the bosom of each, 
when they fully realized they were innocent of that terrible crime, 
when they came face to face with, each other, and the dark cloud which 
had overshadowed their lives ^^as dispersed. Who can but think that 
the overruling power of a Supreme Being had guided them and 
brought about the happ\' reunion. 

And to think the whole trouble came from a somewhat burles(|ue 
love affair ! 



REMIXISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 







■ER FALLS. ROCHESTEH, N. 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Kiie Canal was commenced in the year 1817 and finished in 
1825. I do not know at what time they commenced enlarging it, but 
it was a number of years before it was completed, and during the 
process of completion they necessarily had to use a part of the old 
canal and part of the new, thus keeping up the navigation until it was 
finished. The writer, who commenced going on the Erie Canal about 
the year 1853, can remember that when two of the large class boats 
met in the old Erie part, there w^oukl be a wedge, which made it hard 
for the horses to pull the boats through, although two of the smaller 
boats could pass readily enough. 

When the Erie canal was first commenced it was considered a 
great undertaking although at this age of inventions and improve- 
ments it would not be deemed of much account. 

One old man near Port Byron came along where they were digging 
and accosted them thus : "You can dig the canal all right but you can 
never make water run up hill". He did not know that no matter how 
high the level was, there was water still higher up to feed it. and with 
the use of the locks the ascent was easily made. 

What would the old man think of the machinery that is being 
used now in the construction of the Barge Canal, which does the work 
of eighty or one hundred men with pick, shovel, and wheelbarrow, 
and only three or four men to operate it. And the man who said when 
he saw them putting up the telegraph poles and wire, "Perhaps letters 
might go through, but newspapers never would", would think you had 
gone stark mad if you told him of the telephone and the wireless 
telegraphy. 

Perhaps it would interest our readers if they are not familiar with 
the waterways of the great State of New York, to know that the Erie 
Canal was not the first waterway for boats from the Atlantic to the 
Great Lakes. I do not know when the first route was discovered, 
but I think some time during the French and Indian wars. I know it 
was before the revolution. It was before Rochester, Syracuse or 
Buffalo were ever thought of ; those places were then vast wildernesses, 
no white man had ever trod their wikls. and Oswego was a fort, in- 



REMlXISCF.XCnS OF ROCIHiSTER. 

habited only by soldiers and others necessary for the defense of the 
borders. Ihey, together with their munitions of war, and other sup- 
pHes, came on batteaus, a sort of boat that navigated the waters from 
New York City to Oswego. They came up tlie Hudson river, then to 
the Mohawk, a carrying place for boat and cargo, at Fort Stanwick 
where is now the city of Rome, to \\'ood creek, near Fort Bull, then 
down the creek to Oneida hike, and down that outlet to the Oswego 
river, then to Oswego on Lake Ontario ; from there by sail boats to 
Niagara river, a carrying place above the falls, then F.rie and the other 
Great Lakes. Those batteaus could come up the Hudson and Mohawk 
rivers by oar, or sail if the wind was favora1)le. but. on Wood creek 
they had to pole them along with pike poles, as the creek was too nar- 
row for any other propidsion. W^alking planks were on each side of 
the boats where the men stood to push. The size of the crew depended 
on the size of the batteau, one man to steer, which was generally the 
captain. The boats were long and narrow, with a cabin to live and 
sleep in. The ruins of Fort Bull can still be seen, a few miles west of 
Rome, wJiere those batteaus unloaded supplies for the fort, and I pre- 
sume there are plenty of people li\ ing along Wood creek to-day that 
do not know it was once a highway for commerce. It nuist have been 
rather lonely as well as dangerous for those hardy lioatmen gliding 
along through that wilderness, inhabited by wild beasts and still wilder 
savages, and imdoubtedly if that creek could talk it would tell many 
a heartrending stow of events which trans]iired during the early day.> 
of trans])ortatioii. 

In the unbroken forests, while resting from their lal)ors, those 
boatmen must have heard the dismal hooting of the owls and screech 
of the wild cats, and perh.aps trembling with fear at e\ery snapping 
bush, in anticipation of an attack bv savages. 

That laborious and slow w^ay of transportation, caused the officials 
of the State to endeavor to find a better way, and the Frie canal was 
projected and realized under Gov. Clinton, called by his political opjK)- 
nents, "Clinton's Folly", and afterwards "Clinton's ditch", and from 
that day to this, every time the administration changes they change 
employes. It is controlled by the party in ])ower. When the canal 
was finished the first boat from New^ York City to ButTalo carried a 
load of water as freight, and Gov. Clinton and staff as passengers. 

There were cannons jjlaced a short distance apart the entire 
length, and when the boat arrixed in Buffalo the water was emptied 

6 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

into the lake. There was great celebrating and rejoicing, 'i'he cannons 
were hred, everywhere people cheering because the great work was 
accomplished. The pouring of the water into the lake from the ocean 
represented the mingling of the waters. 

The Erie canal was soon to be the greatest highway for commerce 
and passenger traflic that was e\er known. It ojiened up the great 
West for settlement, it was the only thoroughfare l)etween the two 
sections, as well as New ^'()rk State itself, \\hicli in many ])]accs was 
an unbroken wilderness; one i)lace in ])articn]ar, Montezuma marsh, 
six miles across it, where drivers were afraid to dri\e at night for fear 
of wild cats which infested that region. 

Rochester was then but a small village not as large as some of 
its nearby towns. Penfield was settled before Rochester. Buffalo 
was- a very small city, and would not be termed at the present time 
a first class village. A few small sailing vessels for traffic with other 
lake towns, and nothing but wagons in summer and sleighs in winter 
to transport provisions from the country and the country jjcople to 
take in exchange, such groceries, or produce needed by them or to 
stock country stores. It was no uncommon thing for people to travel 
in wagons eighty and one hundred miles and perhaps more, loaded 
with provisions or lumber to trade for tea, coffee, calicoes, tobacco 
and whisky. They used to consider whiskv as necessary, if not more 
so. than any of the other articles, ^^'e are heartily glad that public 
opinion in this ha.s changed with other things. 

Rochester, through the instrumentality cjf the canal in a great 
part, is now a first-class city, with over 200,000 inhabitants. The Erie 
canal made the country prosperous all along the line. There were no 
railroads when the canal wa- first built. The lirst one was a puny 
affair, running from All)any to Schenectad\-. The writer can remem- 
ber, when a boy of five or six years, coming with his father from the 
east, and riding on cars which looked like old-fashioned stage coaches 
without thills. From Schenectady we came to Rochester on an Erie 
packet, then changed to a Genesee \^alley packet for Mt. Morris, the 
nearest station to the place of our destination. Before the Valley 
canal was finished steamboats were run up the Genesee river nearly 
to Mt. Morris for freight and passengers. A steamboat left Rochester 
for Geneseo every other morning, thirty-five miles away direct route, 
but probably twice that distance by river. People living near the river 
now would hardly belie\e it possible, it is so low in dry times, brought 



REMJNISCRNCES OF ROCHESTER. 

about by the forests being cut away which retained the moisture. I 
remember Capt. Phihips, who ran a steam craft on the Genesee. Be- 
fore canal times passengers or freight going south from Three River 
Point on Oswego river sailed, rowed, and poled, their batteaus up 
Cayuga and Seneca outlets to the lakes across them to Ithaca, Geneva. 
Watkins and all other settlements on those waters. The magician's 
wand has turned the useful batteau into the pleasure canoe and motor- 
boat of the present day. 

The Genesee Valley canal in 1842 or 1843 was finished only to 
Dansville. I can remember the name of the packet boat that ran from 
Rochester, where we engaged passage. It was the Caroline. I was 
hit by a bridge and would have been knocked overboard, only my dress 
caught over an iron cleat and saved me. I had not arrived at pants 
age at that time. Passengers when on the deck of those boats- had 
to stoop over to keep from being knocked down or overboard. They 
were notified by the steersman, who was instructed to sing out very 
loudly, "Low Bridge !" when approaching one of those structures. 

The Erie canal at that time was a busy thoroughfare during the 
months of navigation, commencing in April and closing when it froze 
up in December. Now it is opened some time in May and closed in 
November, as there is but little traffic on waterways at the present 
time. As the country became settled, especially the West, the business 
increased to immense proportions. All kinds of groceries were trans- 
ported West; lumber, shingles, staves, and millions upon millions of 
bushels of grain sent to tidewater from the great West. 

Different companies had boats by the hundreds, and men hired to 
run them. The crews consisted of two steersmen, a cook and captain. 
The drivers and teams were stationed some twelve or fifteen miles 
apart, where a station master had charge of teams and boarded the 
drivers, they taking their meals on the boat only when on the passage 
to the next station. 

The crews of an individual boat owned by the captain consisted 
of two drivers, two steersmen, a cook and captain, and sometimes a 
bowsman wlicn the times were good. 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 



CHAPTER II. 

Being a bowsman was the first business the author ever did on 
the canal. 

I will mention a few of the lines doing business on the canals in 
those days; they will be familiar to the old inhabitants of the canal 
sections. 'The American Transportation Co.'', 'The Western Trans- 
portation Co.", "The Combination Line", (usually called the "Combo 
Line") ; these run from ButTalo. Then there was the Rochester and 
New York Transportation Co., with a man by the name of Fish as 
president, and who was afterwards mayor of the city of Rochester, 
and assistant canal superintendent. There was also the "New York 
and Genesee Valley Line", running from New York to Dans\ille. They 
did not run the line boats to Olean, as there were so many locks. 
Some individual boats run as freight packets. I can remember a man 
by the name of Arnold run one of them, and Hank ]\Iunsey had a 
freight boat. Any of the boats would carry merchandise that water 
would not hurt, as they had open decks, but the freight and passenger 
packets were covered all over. 

When the canal was finished to Oramel, they run a passenger 
packet from there to Portage, it did not pay the owners, so they aban- 
doned it. A stage ran in opposition, and at one time they carried pas- 
sengers free, the one to outdo the other, till the packet to still show 
her prowess gave free dinners to her passengers, as she could do so 
on board the boat. Opposition is the life of trade but in this case it 
was the life of the packet. The stage kept running until the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad put it out of business. 

I can well remember the packet, the name of which was 'The 
Frances", and how beautiful it looked to my boyish eyes, prettily 
painted and majestically swinging around the bend from the feeder 
into the main canal at Oramel. 

Those days are passed, the writer is an old man, the boat has' 
crumbled to dust, its crew and passengers have all or nearl\- all crossed 
the dark river; the same sun shines as brightly to-day, but it shines 
not on the glassy waters of the feeder, but on its rapidly disappearing 
track, a fit home for frogs and malaria, and but few there are non* 



R/:ML\isci:Xcr.s of Rochester. 

who ever heard the lone toot of the crooked brass horn of the captain 
echoing among the green clad hills of Crawford creek, as a signal to 
the passengers that the boat was getting ready to start. It is the course 
of all things, the old must give way to the new. l)ul only for death 
could we have life. 



/// aboard for Portage and intermediate f^orts 
by ca)ial packet boat Frances! 




THE PACKET BOAT FRANCES LEAVING HER DOCK AT ORAMEL 
FEEDER FOR PORTAGE 65 YEARS AGO. 

The steersinnii and bo7vsinan getting ready to cast off the lines as 
the last notes of the crooked brass horn vigrated among the ivooded 
hills of Crawford creek, the passengers coming and getting aboard the 
boat at the packet dock in Oramel. 

There was the old and tlic new Oswego lines, coming into the 
I'^rie canal at Syracuse; Rome and New York line and Black River 
line running from New York City to Carthage on the Black river. 
There were plenty of other lines in those days of canal usefulness 
whose boats carried passengers as well as freight. Thousands of 
emigrants were transported, they and their household effects from 
New York to Buffalo, then by steamboat to all points on the lakes. 
Packets beautifully painted carried passengers and their baggage, also 
express packages, while others carried both passengers and freight ; 
they paid double toll and had the right of way, like the passenger 
trains on the railroad. Where boats were congregated at locks, waiting 

10 



ITS r.ARLY CANAL DAYS. 

their turn to lock through, these packets could pass them all which 
called fortli many an oath from other hoat captains there in waiting. 

Sometimes a heavily loaded freight boat would pay double toll 
and pass all others waiting at the lock, making the other boatmen more 
angry than for the passenger boat to go by them, and sometimes they 
would get into fights. The rate was two cents per mile for light boats, 
and different prices for freight, according to the distance carried. 
Boats were so numerous at that time on the Erie canal, that a broken 
lock, or a boat crosswise, would in one-half hour cause an accumula- 
tion of dozens of boats on either side of the obstruction. 

About the commencement of the Civil war there was a break at 
Little Falls; the boats going east reached from Herkimer to Syracuse, 
sixty-nine miles, and as many the other side of the break coming west. 

I can remember a little circumstance which never did, nor never 
would, happen again. While waiting in the crowd of boats, I left my 
boat, with some others, to stroll along down the canal. I passed the 
waiting boats, and in rotation not far apart, were three, one whose 
name was "The Star"; the next one "The Spangle'", and a short dis- 
tance in line was the "Banner". They might run on forever and never 
happen to be placed in such rotation again. 

Hundreds of boats towed by steamboats up and down the river 
from New York to Albany every day. Boats were cleared from Buf- 
falo by the hundred some days, and sixty or eight most every day of 
canal navigation. 

Tonawanda, with its lumber laden boats and huge rafts of ship 
timbers going to tidewater, added to the list, kept the lock-tenders busy. 
Those rafts were composed of sections called cribs, as long as could 
be locked ; there were six of them fastened together but they must be 
imcoupled to pass through the locks. The raft's crew lived in a sort 
of rough board shanty. They needed no steersman, for it would drag 
close by the towpath side, and boats kept the outside, and the crew of 
the raft carried the towing line of the passing boat over the raft. \i 
there were crowds of boats at the lock, the lock-tender would lock 
one crib or section of raft, then a boat and so on, therefore while 
one whole raft was being locked through, six boats would be locked, 
making it slow work for the raftsmen and hard for the poor horses. 

The traffic of the lateral canals swelled the Erie to huge propor- 
tions, the Genesee Valley coming into the Erie at Rochester from 
the Allegany river, running through Portville. Olean, Cuba. Belfast, 

11 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

Alt. Morris, Scottsville, and other towns, and a branch twelve miles 
from Sonyea going to Dansville. 

Many of the places have changed names since old canal days. 
Spencerport, now called Fowlerville ; Shakers, now Sonyea ; Brush- 
ville, now Tuscarora ; Messenger's Hollow, now Oakland ; Mixville 
Landing, now Rossburgh. Three or four miles below Caneadea is a 
beautiful temperance town called Houghton, with a noted theological 
seminary; there is also a fine grove with an auditorium wdiere each 
year in August is held a week's camp meeting, attended by thousands 
of people and many noted speakers; it was once called Jockey St. and 
contained a low, vile tavern. 

East of the Genesee Vallc}- at Montezuma there came into the 
Erie canal hundreds of boats from the coal chutes on both the Seneca 
and Cayuga lakes. The Oswego canal running from Lake Ontario to 
Syracuse, the Black river coming in at Rome, the Chenango at Utica. 
and the Northern canal from Lake Champlain to Troy, By the time 
all the boats from these different waterways reached the Erie they 
could be counted by the thousands, and thousands of dollars worth of 
property was floated to and from tidewater. Every hour of the day 
you could count from any canal bridge, the wdiole length of the canal, 
eight or ten boats going east or west, and at night the headlights from 
the boats looked like a torchlight procession. 

At the present time you can watch the canal all day without seeing 
one boat. Carrying freight on the canal now is like angels' visits, few 
and far between. Railroads have superseded the canals, for they can 
move freight so much faster ; the building of the Barge canal looks to 
me like a useless expense ; but then it makes business along the line, 
work for poor men, and will be an ideal place for pleasure and motor- 
boats. 

Li the old days of canal usefulness there were many occasions for 
quarreling among boatmen, and fighting was an every day occurrence, 
especially among opposition line boats. Captains would hire men 
more for their fighting abilities than their seamanship in managing a 
boat. Some boats which had ditiiculty in passing each other, ha\e 
been known when meeting again, to tie up alongside of each other 
and go to fighting; when one gave up and said, "enough", they untied 
and went llieir (lifierent ways, as though nothing unusual had 
happened. 



12 



TTS EARLY' CANAL DAYS. 

There were canal Inillies all along the line. one. a colored man. 
called "Sleepy Frank", was a match for any one ; he could jump clear 
across a lock fourteen or fifteen feet; the locks are wider now. Then 
there was old Ben Streeter, all Valley canal boatmen knew him; he 
was generally feared for his fighting qualities. He lived at the Rapids, 
at that time out of the city of Rochester, but now the city runs clear 
by it. Ben Streeter steered the first canal boat that ran up from Roch- 
ester to Mt. Morris. He was called the Rochester bully, and fought 
the bully of Buffalo in the old Reynolds Arcade for one hour and 
licked him ; no officer dared interfere at that time. 

The times have changed for the better. They could not fight there 
now for five minutes without being arrested. Policemen were few in 
the city then, fighting was considered a manly art. and the best man 
in a fight, was praised and feared ; now fighting is called brutish unless 
in self-defense. One thing in their favor at that time, they used only 
their fists or their boots, while at the present time, when a fight is 
on, a gun or knife is used, many times fatally ; at that time I never saw 
any deadly weapons used or anyone killed or disabled to any great ex- 
tent ; when a man said enough they quit and sometimes shook hands, 
and the vanquished would apologize and say "you are the best man, 
sure"', and perhaps go to some tavern and drink together. One small- 
sized boat captain used to jump ofl:" his boat at anv little misunder- 
standing and fight ; he invariably got the worst of it, but that did not 
prevent him from juni])ing off at the next quarrel, and I never saw him 
without a scratched face or a blackened eye. All of the side-cut 
canals had their fighting men. and in fact nearly all boatmen ])rided 
themselves on the then called, manly art. 

I can also recall to memory many a good man on the Valley 
canal. They did not pose as fighters, they were too gentlemanly for 
that, and would avoid getting into trouble, but I would not advise any- 
one to impose upon them too much. Geo. Eggleston of Brockport, 
Johnnie Rover of Dansville, the Burke Boys of Mt. Morris, and plenty 
of others, good fellows and good boatmen, ready to give a helping 
hand to any needy one. 

\\'hisky or strong drink, then as well as now, was the principal 
cause of quarreling and fighting, not only among boatmen but 
teamsters, log cutters, mill hands, and even farmers would get together 
on certain occasions, generally after pay day, and the principal idea 
was to have what they called a good time, drinking, treating and 

13 



REMJNISCIINCFS OF ROCHFSTER. 

carousing from one tavern or saloon to another, until their money \va> 
all spent, some staggering home, others dead drunk in the lock-up, or 
cared for by their families or friends. That was the way they gen- 
erally disbanded, to get together again at the next pay day or some 
noted occasion, and go the same disgraceful rounds again ; and yet they 
were called civilized human beings. Such customs and drinking habits, 
have created endless sufferings and poverty in the families of such 
drinking men. Although strong drink often brought about a tragedx- 
I knew of cases where it brought a comedy as well. 

There were two men who were running a boat together. They 
arrived in the city of Rochester late one Saturday night; one sent the 
other with a dollar to get provisions to last the boat's crew over Sun- 
day. When he returned he had a jug of whisky and one loaf of 
bread. The other partner was looking at the purchases, when his mate 
said, ''What are you thinking of?" **Oh, nothin', only I would like to 

know what in H made you get so much bread!" The canals, like 

other sections, have reformed. The temperance wave is spreading. 
When the writer was a boy almost every man drank and used tobacco, 
and even the women smoked and used snuff ; a snuff' box and tobacco 
pouch were reckoned as household utensils, whisky, cider and tobacco 
were considered as essential as any other groceries. There was a 
grocery at every lock, and sometimes two, on the Erie canal, where in- 
toxicating liquors were sold. It was customary with the grocery 
proprietor to treat the captain when purchasing supplies for his boat, 
and the whole crew, if the trade was heavy, then the crew would get 
money of the captain on their wages and treat each other, and so it 
went; whisky was considered essential. What a change! The old 
uninhabitable wrecks of some of those grocery hell-holes can still be 
seen rotting down. No more liquor is sold in them, and the few boat- 
men navigating the Erie canal to-day, are mostly temperate. Up the 
Genesee Valley there were whisky shops in every town. From Jockey 
Street to Belfast, only seven or eight miles, there were ten or more 
miserable apologies for hotels. It was a new country, steam and 
water saw mills dotting the valleys. Teams drawing lumber, shingles, 
stavebolts, railroad ties and cord wood were on every road ; all families 
used wood for fuel, in fact, they knew of nothing else to use. 
Wood was used in all the cities, and the first railroads burned millions 
of cords to fire their engines. 

Deer were numerous in Allegany County in the early stages of 
canal navigation, making it an ideal ]ilacc for hunters, and among all 

14 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

the inhabitants of that section at that time I knew of only one strictly 
temperance man ; I presume there were others, i le came from Orleans 
county to superintend the construction of the locks at Oraniel. and 
the acqueduct at Caneadca. He married Hannah Emery, of Marsh 
settlement, and built a sawmill in the town of Caneadea on Shongo 
creek. He advocated temperance at all times, when to do so brought 
slurs and curses from those around him, strongly addicted to the 
liquor habit so prevalent at that time. 

Yes, David L. Dudley was the name of that Nature's n(.l)leman, 
and the foster parent of the writer, who will never forget while life 
lasts the temperance lessons and fatherly ad\ice that have perhaps 
saved the foster-son from stumbling into many pitfalls. The germs 
of temperance cultivated years ago by that blessed man probably had 
something to do with making some prohibition towns along the aban- 
doned waterway of the Genesee Valley canal. This is not intended 
for a temperance lectm-e, but the love I have for my fellow boatmen, 
as well as all humanity, causes me to advocate it everywhere, knowing 
as I do the terrible curse intemperance has entailed among its many 
victims. A majority of people have been taught to believe that license 
to sell this poison in a town makes more business. Yes, indeed it does, 
some kinds of business. Business for the doctors, to cure diseases 
caused by the terrible stuff. Business for lawyers to settle quarrels 
caused by the same. Business for poormasters to supply neces- 
sities to poor families made dependent by strong drink. More 
business for taxpayers to get money to pay for murder trials 
caused by drunken brawls, and last, but not least, business /;/ hell for 
the devil. We hear it advocated that the world is getting more wicked, 
but I can prove it otherwise; where T once saw drunkenness I see it 
no more. Buildings can be raised and harvesting can be done without 
whisky, which once was impossible. I can remember many fatal acci- 
dents caused by strong drink served at raising. Temperance wa\es 
have washed away the whisky fumes of Jockey St., now Houghton, 
Burrville. Caneadea, Willard's tavern and Youngs, at Oramel feeder, 
and many other places. 

Oramel at that time w^as a business place. It was calculated by 
its founder, Oramel Griffin to become a city. There was a hotel, a 
number of saloons, a drug store, and sexeral other stores, a paper was 
also printed there by Purdy, and many dwelling houses that all signs of 
are now obliterated. The canal feeder at Oramel was lined with 

15 



RF.MINISCnNCFS OF ROCHESTFR. 

lumber, shingles, stave bolts, etc.. to be loaded on boats for Rochester, 
New York, and intermediate ports. Oramel lost a good share of its 
business when the canal was finished to Olean. There was a great 
celebration when it was finished to Belfast. The first boat carried a 
load of passengers to that place ; they had a cannon on board and 
fired it frequently, while the banks were lined with the cheering in- 
habitants of the surrounding country. Belfast Was quite a village at 
that early date, and when the canal was finished the sleepy old town 
awakened, and has been wide awake ever since. Business men came 
from other places to work in dififerent capacities. 

There was a warehouse and drydock built by a man from Dans- 
ville, S. Titsworth, who did quite an extensive business as commis- 
sion merchant and repairer of boats. Geo. Chamberlain from Roch- 
ester bought lumber for the Hollister Lumber Co. in that city. 

There are a number of the old Genesee Valley boatmen still liv- 
ing in Belfast and near towns, the Burke Brothers, James Fox of 
Oramel. C. Reeves, and Aaron Stone, near Oramel, and others, all 
good business men. Some are farmers and instead of the question 
being interchanged "\Miat are they paying for lumber shipped to 
Jvochester?" they sing out when meeting. "What's cheese bringing this 
week?'' 

Through the courtesy of one of those prosperous ex-boatmen. 
Captain Aaron Stone, I have been able to secure some more data of the 
early days of the Valley canal. The first boat arrived at Cuba in 
October, 18.S6. Whit Gould was the captain. Crowds escorted it 
into Cuba with a band of music ; it was a great day for that village, 
whisky was plentiful and free to all, both on the boat and at other 
places. 

The last boat there was in the year 1878, left on the bottom of 
the canal near where is now the Cuba Cheese and Cold Storage plant, 
when the water was drawn off and the Genesee Valley canal was 
abandoned and water communication to Cuba was ended. The boat 
was the Cul,)a lighter, owned by Messrs. Cutter and Bishop. This bit 
of history was secured from an old copy of the Cuba ''Patriot" ; in 
the old canal days it was handy for the farmers along the line, for it 
fetched a market right at their own doors for oats, hay, pork and all 
other things they had to spare. Horses were in great demand at all 
])rices, from hundreds of dollars to four or five, according to the 
wealth of the boatmen. Some poor boatmen would be necessitated to 
use horses too old or poor to be of much service. 

16 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

The boats built on the Genesee Valley were very pretty, generally 
round bow and square stern, nicely painted, some fourteen feet wide, 
and eighty feet long. There was a cabin at the stern for living pur- 
poses, and a hands' cabin or for horses at the bow. They served as a 
nice little home for the waterman and his family; they would carry 
ninety tons, if loaded with lumber, fifty to eighty thousand feet, ac- 
cording to its degree of seasoning, and forty or fifty cords of wood. 
They could load three and one-half feet, that was the law; if loaded 
more than that, it was hard for the poor horses, as the boat would 
drag the bottom of the canal. 

I presume there are some living now who can remember the 
names of some of the Valley boats. Nelson Lareau of Tuscarora ; 
Burns and Wave, The Bersey-King, and the Diantha Mariah, all of 
Dansville ; Fashion of Castile, Homer of Cayuga, C. J. Warrington of 
Crescent, and the A. S. Baker. I could mention many more but these 
are sufficient. 

One of the Munsey girls. Hank Munsey's sister, was a natural 
boatwoman. She steered her father's boat across the river below Mt. 
Morris when the water was so high it was dangerous, and no man 
dared to steer or even go in the boat with her. She made the lock on 
the other side of the river all right; if she had not, the boat would 
have went over the State dam which would undoubtedly have 
drowned her and sunk the boat. She afterw^ards built and run a boat 
herself. I think she married one of the Wiley boys of the Rapids. 
There were the Blodget boys of Dansville, good boatmen, also the 
Burkes of Mt. Morris, the Donnellys of Spencerport, and plenty of 
others, but we cannot enumerate them all. 

Below Oramel was a widewater called the Basin, used for stor- 
ing ship timbers, to be made into rafts. Oramel was a busy place 
then; no more will boatmen crowd its streets or their loud voices be 
heard singing out "LIurrah — lock", or "Go on, Johnnie", when the 
boat was locked through. The old tumble-down locks can still be seen 
all along the Pennsylvania Railroad from Olean to Rochester, and 
some of them are still in a good state of preservation. Now the rail- 
road follows on the towing path of the old canal. It takes about three 
hours to get to Rochester from Belfast; when the writer was a boy, 
it took twenty-four hovirs. You took the stage in the morning at Bel- 
fast or Caneadea, arrrived for dinner at Portage, then stage through 
Brooksgrove, arri^ ing in the afternoon at Mt. Morris, then took the 

17 



REMINISCENCRS OF ROCHESTER. 

packet boat ride all night, and if no detention occurred to the boat 
you arrived in the city next morning. You could sleep on the boat 
and get your meals if you wished. Jt was splendid board, equal to 
any first-class hotel, and many times, superior. You had your bertii 
assigned to you the same as on a railroad sleeper. The berths were 
made of canvas, called sacking frames, hung on irons fastened on 
the inside of the boat, put up by tlie steward at bedtime, and taken 
down in the morning to make room for breakfast service and parlor 
conveniences. The deck made a Hne. picturesque promenade, especially 
on moonlight nights. The horses would trot, giving the boat the 




PASSENGtR PACKET ON THE ERIE CAN/ 



EARS AGO. 



Speed of a light carriage and horses. It was a nice, sociable way to 
travel with your friends, and that included all of the passengers on 
the boat, giving you the pleasure of an outing or picnic combined 
with business travel. 

I can remember the names of the packet boats running from Mt. 
Morris to Rochester when I was a boy. Two left each place every 
night, Sundays excepted, one carrying freight and passengers, the 
father passengers, baggage and express. Their names were, "The Dia- 
mond", "May Fly", "May Flower", and "Dansville". The boats 
(locked, discharged cargo and passengers, in a slip, just back of 
where limch and eating rooms are located at the present time on Ex- 
change street, at the west end of the aqueduct. The building was a 

18 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

warehouse directly opposite the CHiitoii hotel, a noted hostelry in those 
days. It is where Dan Bromley moored his packet, the "Red Bird" 
of the Empire line. 

In packet days boats vied with each other to be the faster, and 
it was ten dollars fine for boats to pass through the canal at more than 
four miles per hour. Boat captains, wishing to keep ahead and out- 
run rival boats, would jump off at each collector s office and plank 
down a ten dollar bill when offering their clearance to be signed. That 
saved arrest, stoppage of boat, and a trial by Court. The next captain 
coming after, did the same thing, making it quite expensive, as there 
were collectors' offices in every large town. The passengers were as 
enthusiastic as the crews to keep ahead, and would help the captain 
pay the fine, and in shallow water or when passing boats, where it was 
hard work for the horses, would jump ashore, grab the towing line 
and pull on it, all the time shouting for their boat. Even bystanders 
in towns and farmers in the country had their favorite boat or line, and 
would get excited and help pull the boat on an emergency, if they hap- 
pened to be there singing out, "Hurrah ! for the 'Red Bird' " or "Hur- 
rah ! for Capt. Stevens", or whatever the name of the boat or captain 
of their choice. Money changed hands equal to betting at a horse or 
boat race at the present time. When I was a boy I hired out as bows- 
man on Jacob Grow's boat, the "Homer" of Cayuga. He was com- 
monly called Uncle Jake. He had always ])een a farmer, but when 
the Valley canal was finished, he sold his farm and bought a canal 
boat, with Edward Washbourn for steersman. Uncle Jake's son De- 
villo as cook, an Irish boy for driver, and myself as bowsman. That 
constituted the boat's crew, besides the Old Man. All captains were 
called "the old man" by the crew, no matter if they are but boys in 
command of any water craft. Once coming through the locks below 
Fillmore, Uncle Jake got excited and got some oakum that had been 
put by accident in the place he kept his tobacco and he was calling 
down the groceryman for selling him such poor -tobacco before he 
found out what it was. They used oakum for calking the boats; it 
very much resembles tobacco and is probal)ly not lialf a hurtful. 

One evening my old friend Devillo cut up about a bushel of pota- 
toes and threw them out of the window, thinking them poor by the dim 
light, when they were only pink inside, and at another time he went 
to drain the potatoes over the taft"rail of the boat, when the cover 
slid off and our dinner of potatoes tumbled into the canal ; and so the 

19 



REMIN!SCENCP:S of ROCHESTER. 

laugh came first on one and then the other. ( )n one trip a funny 
thing happened-, which brought the laugh on me. Just below the 
Scottsville lock I saw, as I supposed, a wild duck swimming behind 
the boat. I ran down into the cabin, got the shotgun, and fired at it. 
killing the supposed duck. Giving the driver a pike pole, he left his 
horses and went back and fished out one of my own mittens that had 
fallen un])erceived overboard, the thumb looking like a duck's head. 
It was a long time before I heard the last of duck, Devillo of rotten 
potatoes, or Capt. Jake of oakum tobacco. I mention these incidents 
to let the reader know there were occasions for sjjort on l)()ard those' 
water crafts. 

Boats, according to canal regulations, must turn to the right when 
passing. That was the old law ; now on the Erie those going towards 
tidewater, that is east, must drop their line to let the western boat 
go over, and not stop towing, for the current generally runs east, thus 
floating the tidewater boat on the current, and not usually affecting 
its speed, when if the west boat stopped for the line to sink under 
the other boat, the current being against it, would greatly retard its 
headway. 

Boats wishing to pass each other, and going in the same direction, 
the head boat going slower, mu.st steer over to the berm bank, or more 
commonly called the heelpath, stop, and let the other and faster one by. 
Steam boats always take the outside of heelpath of horse-towing boats, 
so as not to be mixed up with the towing lines. Boats when within 
a certain distance of the lock cannot be passed until they are locked 
through on to another level. 

Some of the old groceries and wrecks of warehouses can be seen 
all along the canals at this date (1914), and at Mt Morris can be 
seen Burk's old tavern, where the packets discharged their passengers 
and freight. Fillmore has still the old store and warehouse of J. B. 
VVhitbeck, and at Caneadea only a part of the warehouse wall is visible, 
opposite the Pennsylvania Railroad depot. It was once kept by Mark 
Titsworlh. formerly of Dansville : he is brother of S. Titsworth, who 
built the Belfast warehouse and dry dock. The enterprising and 
beautiful village of Belfast w?s disgraced a few years ago by the turn- 
ing of that historical building once used for transportation purposes 
into a low brothel, where two murders were committed. That crime 
awakened the honest citizens to their duty, and the consequence was 
a temperance town At Rockville there was a small lake made for a 

20 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

canal feeder, and fnrihcr up, near Cuba, is a much larger one. Both 
of those reser^•oirs were not sufiicient in very dry times to furnish 
enough water for transportation purposes, and boats have laid in that 
vicinity for weeks, waiting for a rain, before there was water enough 
to float them. 

Boat crews many times would get into mischief while waiting 
during those obstructions caused by breaks in canal, lock, or low 
water, and although there were many good honest law-abiding boat- 
men, there would, in a crowd of boats, be more or less rowdies 
among the crews, who woidd take adxantage of their idleness to get 




SCENE ON LAKE CUBA. 
THE STATE OF NEW 



NOTED 
WATE R 



SUMMER RESORT, IT WAS BUILT 
■OR THE GENESEE VALLEY CANAL. 



into mischief. The\- pretended to be fighting men, and were generally 
feared by the citizens along tlic water highways. 1 remember when 
some boats were stalled in the village of Cuba waiting for water, the 
rough element of the boats' crews would get together, swagger around 
town, insult the citizens, and offer to fight every one they came in 
contact with, climb stovepipes in hotels and make nuicances of them- 
selves generally. One night they, through some pretext or other, got a 
number of the fast boys around town to come aboard one of their boats, 
which was anchored in the middle of the canal, and the boat ruffians 
were secreted under the decks. When the boys all got aboard they 
pulled in the nnniing ])laiik and set to ])onnding and kicking their visi- 
tors, then threw them o\cr1)(Kird. and some would undoubtedlv have 
been drowned bad tlierc been water enough for navigation. There 

21 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

was great rejoicing when there come sufticieiit water for the boats 
to sail away to their respective ports. 

Olean was at that time but a small village, but, getting its start 
from canal days, is now a smart little city, and many houses are built 
over the decayed hulls of old boats left in the canal basin. Western's 
Mills, three miles from Olean, shipped millions of feet of lumber by 
canal. Portville, the last village on the canal, was a great shipping 
port. Boats could go two miles from that ])lace, lock into the Alle- 
ghany river, and load lumber from mills on that water. 

In the early canal days there were boats owned by companies, 
called Line boats, they hired captains to run them, who were generally 
of the rough class. The companies did not care if their boats were 
rushed to their greatest capacity. The captains would hire their own 
crews, who were generally as vicious as themselves, and their cooks 
were usually hired from an intelligence office ; such outfits as this gave 
the canal a bad name. There were, however, some of the captains 
who were respectable, and had their wives, sisters or mothers attend 
to the office of cooking, although most of the Line boats had rather 
hard cases for their crews. 

The individual boats, owned by the captain, usually hired a more 
respectable crew. Many of them lived on their boats in the winter. 
When the business began to fail there were no more Lines, and a man 
who wished, could, by being saving, purchase a boat, and was not a 
loafer; temperance and respectability took the place of intemperance 
and fighting, and now the watermen are as respectable as any other 
class of people, no matter what their vocation. 

The two terminals of the Erie canal, Buffalo and New York, is 
where most of the boats tie up for the winter. Erie Basin in Brooklyn 
is set apart for the use of boats, and when boating was good it was 
quite a city of water craft, and temperance and virtue was as highly 
prized as in any community on shore. In the writer's time of canal 
and river business religious meetings were held there on a covered 
canal boat, fitted up for that purjiose. 

The McCauly Mission started the first boatman's revival; although 
rather belligerent, it served a good purpose. I think it was John Allen 
who was keeping a low, vile dance house on Canal street, in New 
York City, with drinking and debauchery as its main attraction. He 
became converted, knocked in the heads of his liquor barrels, dis- 
charged his dance girls, after giving them good advice, and started 
a prayer meeting in his bar mom. It was sold to McCauly afterwards. 

22 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

One night a half drunken Oswego boatman, who was a noted 
bully and fighting man, stumbled into McCauly's mission, intending 
to break up or disturb the meeting. Instead, he got converted him- 
self, and like Paul, he saw a great light, went home to his boat at Erie 
Basin in Brooklyn, and the next day rigged seats and put up stoves 
to warm the boat; being decked all over, it made a very comfortable 
place to hold meetings. Then he went around to all of the neighbor- 
ing boats, told the captains there would be services held on his boat 

in the evening, and if they did not come he would give them a D 

licking, and that they would catch H if they omitted being there. 

It was a pretty effectual invitation, as the whole boat colony turned 
out. He engaged ministers, who were only too glad to come and preach 
the Gospel, with the consequence that nearly every boatman was con- 
verted, and the effect was clearly seen the following summer, when 
many boats were tied up on Sundays, and their occupants went to 
church whenever possibe. And the Oswego boatman, I have heard 
since, converted his boat into a floating Bethel, and held meetings 
wherever they chose to anchor. 

That religious wave surged over the canal doing an immense 
amount of good. Poverty and disease changed to health and wealth, 
vice to virtue, unhappiness to joy and gladness, friendly conversation 
taking the place of drinking and fighting. Well-dressed families 
wended their way from their floating homes to places of worship on 
vSundays, far different from the drunken, quarreling crews that went 
from the ale houses to fight their wives and families on getting back 
to their beautiful and graceful vessels, disgracing the noble calling they 
were engaged in. Their boats, in sheer disgust, strained at their 
anchorage, to get away from their debased owners, and the bright, 
sparkling waters underneath, roiled them'selves in anger. Thank God, 
the old drunken days of boatmen are over, or nearly so, and how can 
any one, no matter what his belief is, say there is nothing in the religion 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, when its eft'ects are so apparent on drinking 
men. 




2.^ 



REMINISCENCES OE ROCHESTER. 



CHAPTER III. 

Rochester was a small city when the writer commenced running 
his boat from Belfast to that place on the Genesee Valley canal. The 
largest building the city contained at that time was Reynolds Arcade ; 
the boys used to crowd around and look with wonder on such a noted 
traveler and ask him if he had seen the Arcade. He took some of his 
old schoolmates occasionally on his voyage, and the wonders they saw 
was material enough for many day's conversation among their friends 
on their return. The name of the boat was the A. S. Baker of Middle- 
port. He had for a partner a man by the name of Delos HotYman. 
They made a number of trips to Rochester, then loaded at PortvilU- 
for Albany ; after unloading, the boat was found to be unseaworthy 
and was abandoned in Troy. There they parted, Delos to tow a boat 
with his horses to Oswego, and the writer to go as pilot on an Erie 
Line boat. But before I engaged in that capacity, 1 took the cars 
for Rochester, and met with the experience I will now narrate. 

I arrived in the city in the afternoon, and just at dark sauntered 
up to Exchange street bridge. At that time it was a common high 
bridge, before hoist or swing bridges had been invented. I was stand- 
ing on the bridge, watching the boats gliding underneath, when a man 
with rather unsteady steps came up to me and said. "Do you know 
where I can get a steersman?" I told him T could steer a boat, was out 
of a berth and would engage with him for $30.00 per month, including 
board; he said, "all right, my other steersman will meet us at Pitts- 
ford to-morrow, where we will load with potatoes for New York City. 
We usually carry Hour, as my boat is a Rochester Line boat, but there 
is no load ready at present". 

At that time Rochester .shipped thousands of barrels of Hour every 
(lay during canal navigation, mostly from Whitney's elevator, and it 
was conceded all over the world to be the.liest flour manufactured any- 
where, and for that reason was called "The Flour City". Now it 
keeps its name on account of its beautiful flower nurseries, but that 
has nothing to do with my cxi)eri(?nce that night. 

The captain said to me, '(io aboard and tell the cook to dish you 
up something, if you arc luini,q-y ; there's the craft in the slip", motion- 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

iiig towards a nicely painted ball head boat, lying in the old packet 
basin. Those boats were built in Rochester, decked all over and called 
"bald head" for being round on the bow, but by constant use the name 
was perverted to "Bull head boat (See picture on cover.) 

The captain stumbled along towards Wheeler's grocery and day 
boat barn, and Wheeler's, like all canal groceries, kept a bar. It was on 
the tow path side, and the building can still be seen just above the Ex- 
change street bridge. I went aboard, knocked at the cabin hatch before 
going down and being hungry told the girl what the captain said. She 
did not speak at first, but looked frightened, and placed some cold meat, 
potatoes and bread and butter before me, and said she would warm 
up the potatoes and make tea, but as there appeared to be no fire, I told 
her not to do it, as that was plenty good enough, and ate all I wished. 
She looked as though she had been wee]:)ing and seemed afraid. 

I made my way to the hands' cabin, in the forward part of the 
boat. Having matches, T struck a light, found the lamp, stirred tip 
an old bunk, and turned in for a good sleep. I did not go to sleep, 
however, but thought of th.e sad-looking girl in the captain's cabin. I 
concluded it was his daughter and he had scolded her, or she expected 
him back drunk, or both, as that is what I thought his condition would 
1)6 as he staggered towards Wheeler's grocery. I must have fallen 
asleep, but the captain coming aboard awakened me; then there were 
\ oices apparently in argument, the captain swearing, and knowing he 
could be swearing to no one but the girl, I opened the door leading 
from the hands' cabin into the midship. Hearing scuffling, I dropped 
down from where I was, and walked back under deck to the cabin aft, 
where I learned that the girl was not the captain's daughter. Then 
she screamed, and I heard the captain chasing her, but sprawling un- 
steadily around. 

The door leading from his cabin into the midship was not fas- 
tened, so I pushed it open, and as he came to that side, T reached into 
the cabin, grabbed the skipper by the legs and jerked him through the 
door. He fell heavily on the keelson, which is a heavy piece of wood 
running through the middle of the boat from stem to stern. It was 
about breast high from the midship to the cabin floor, and thus stunned 
liim when striking. 

I did not stop to see whether he was ali\ e or not, but climbed 
np through the hole where T had pulled the captain, shut and bolted 
the door, and said to the trembling girl, "You are all right, now, don't 

25 



REMINISCENCFS OF ROCHESTER. 

be afraid. If he isn't dead now, I'll kill him any way. Pack up your 
things if you have any, and I will go with you to the police station, 
and you can tell your story to them." Then she cried and said she 
did not want to go anywhere but home. 

I then heard the captain swearing and stumbling around inside, sn 
I ran up on deck, forward to my cabin, ran down, shut and bolted 
the door leading from there to the midship, where the captain was. 
Then I knew we were safe, for without outside help, or tools, he 
could never get out. I ran back, got the girl and her small bundle 
ashore, then yelled to the captain, who was mumbling curses, to shut 
up, or I would go down and brain him ! I could be brave then, on the 
outside, and Cap a prisoner, and I had an old single barrelled pistol 
and one load, about as dangerous as a mosquito's bite. 

The girl said she lived about six miles up the river, and that she 
could walk, for she had seen all she wanted of Rochester. Her home 
was near to what is now called the Junction, and is on the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad where it crosses the West Shore, in one of the houses 
on the river road from Plymouth avenue in the city, through the little 
village called the Rapids at that time. 

No one had heard the rumpus, as that was the only boat in the 
slip that night and policemen were scarce in the city at that time. 
Such a commotion now in that vicinity would fetch a dozen of them, 
as well as hundreds of citizens. As I could not persuade her to go 
and enter her complaint at the Station, I concluded to walk home with 
her, so taking the small bundle, we started on our long night's walk, 
with no electric lights as now. She knew that I was her friend and 
told me how she came to be on the boat. Some of her neighbors told 
her if she wanted to get work in the city, all she had to do was to go 
to an intelligence office and they would get her a position. Her mother 
was a widow, and being poor, with nothing to do in the country, she 
thought, as she was fifteen years old, she could help her poor old 
mother keep their little home if she could get work. So that morning 
she had bid her tearful mother good-bye ; she did not want her child to 
go, she would sooner starve. But the girl, like many others, was a 
little willful and thought she could take care of herself in the city, and 
that was the way she did it. 

She went to the intelligence oflice, and they caring nothing for the 
girl except to get their fee, persuaded her to go as cook on the captain's 
boat, for he had just then applied for one, and she went along with 

26 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

him, as innocent of harm as though she was with her own father or 
brother. After being aboard a short time she began to consider her 
position, and the rough talk of the captain had opened her eyes, and 
the sad looks when I came in for supper, was the consequence. 

I know not what would have been the outcome if I had not provi- 
dentially arrived upon the scene as I did, and the poor girl was 
about tired out before arriving at her home, near morning, having 
traveled the same road twice that day, besides the experience and one 
dollar out for her fee at the intelligence office ; but she bravely plodded 
on, stopping to rest occasionally. She had ample time to acquaint me 
with her history; she had had experience enough now, through not 
obeying her mother, to take her advice ever afterwards; and with 
tears in her eyes she said she would starve before she would ever 
visit the city again without a protector. 

I was not much of a philosopher in those days, but I told her 
that to obey her mother and listen to her counsels, would be the great- 
est protector she could ever get. We walked upon the towing path 
of the canal from the rapids until we came to what is now the River 
View House, then turned off on the river road and arrived at her home 
a mile or so up the river. She awakened her mother, and the "God 
blessings" I received after acquainting her of her daughter's escape 
from the drunken canal captain, if worth anything, would put a regi- 
ment of sinners through purgatory. I believe they were good for 
something, however, as I felt like a hero after the praises that were 
heaped upon me by those poor people. 

They rigged me a bed upstairs and although near morning, I had 
quite a rest before coming down to breakfast, which must have been 
near noon. The simple menu consisted of baked potatoes, gravy and 
tea, but the grateful looks of both mother and daughter sufficed for 
bread and dessert. No one with plenty of wealth and relations could 
have received more blessings and tears when going to the wars, than 
were given to me when parting from them that day. All the capital 
I owned then was good health, a good trade of boatmanship, six dollars 
and a little change, but no home, and no berth on any boat, as I had 
sacrificed my position engaged the previous night, but I left them a 
five dollar bill. They did not want to take it, and would not until I 
told them I had plenty in the bank. My bank was the banks of the 
canal and the money could only be drawn after I had steered a boat 
through them. 

27 



RRMINISd'-NCFS OF ROCIf ESTER. 

I walked back to the city, arriving there at about three or 
four P. M. I was weaving air castles all along the road, about how 
1 would some day come back to see my little sweetheart, as I now 
thought of her. That was young man fashion, but it never material- 
ized, for I never saw them again. 

I looked for the boat on which I had hired out, but she was gone. 
The skipper ' must have routed out someone who had opened his 
prison doors, hired help, and gone to Pittsford to load. Then I con- 
ceived the brilliant plan, being out of a job, of going down and hiring 
out to him again, for it being dark when he hired me, he could not 
recognize me only by my voice, and being as drunk as he was, he 
l)robably could not have done it by that. If he had not hired a man 
yet, my chances would be good, as well as a good joke on the captain. 

But I did not get to Pittsford, for at Brighton locks I hired out 
to John Packard, captain of a Western Transportation Co.'s boat, the 
"New Jersey", loaded with wdieat for New York. 

I did not know the name of the boat upon which I had had the 
adventure, nor the captain's name ; I only knew that it was a Rochester 
hall head boat, but could never know it if I met it, as there were 
so many of them built just alike. 

A few years ago I delivered a lecture in a schoolhouse in that 
neighborhood, and went to the house I was pretty sure was the one 
my rescued girl and her mother had lived in. It looked like the place, 
only improved, with additions built on it, and when giving the young 
lady a lecture bill, I asked her if she ever knew of a widow and her 
(laughter living there. She said "\\'hat were their names"? and I 
could not tell her; if I ever did know, I had forgotten; she said she 
never knew of any residing there. After getting some distance from 
the house I figured U]) the time passed since that ever-to-be remem- 
bered night, and realized the passing of time. It must have been near 
lifty years, and I felt the absurdity of asking that woman about the 
family that had lived there undoubtedly twenty-five years before she 
was born. The question must ha\ e been asked as in a dream. 

The reader can see that the inland waters of navigation are not 
devoid of adventures. They have their lovers, their mysteries, and 
crimes, as well as any other section of country. The above narrative 
would furnish material for a first-class novel. I have had many other 
adventures, but none as exciting: in so short a time. 



28 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Many boats, mostly coal carriers, left the canal at Montezuma, 
towed by horses to Cayuga lake and to Geneva or Seneca lake, could 
load with coal at Coal Point, or they could go into the Chemung at 
Watkins, for Corning or Elmira. In busy times I have seen from 
sixty to eighty coal boats towed into Geneva by steamboat — then the 
hustling to get teams out and their boats under way for their difter- 
cnt ports of destination. 

Seneca lake in storms was dangerous for loaded boats, and its 
bottom is lined with wrecks. I know of a boat loaded with coal in 
a sinking condition, which was cast off from the others, her crew got 
on to the steamboat, when it sank, turned over, dumped her load, and 
came to the surface, bottom side up. The steamer picked it up, 
towed it to Geneva, rigged tackles and overturned it and pumped out 
the water; the crew then moved on. w^ent back, loaded coal again, and 
met on the canal the same boats coming back light that was in the 
tow when they sank. It was an open boat, or it could not have dumped 
its load. 

There is no boating of any account on those lakes now. The 
railroads have taken the bu.siness, and the Chemung canal is a thing 
of the past. The boats have rotted away, the crews disappeared, and 
all that remains is the crumbling walls of the coal trestles — monuments 
of a past age. 

The Fall Brook Coal Company had many boats. They were all 
named "Fall Brook"', but numbered so as to distinguish them. Ithaca, 
on Cayuga lake, was a noted place for building beautifully modeled 
boats. They were called Ithaca Lakers, and could sail up and down 
the lake for loads, but generally were towed by steamboats. A man 
felt proud when he owned or commanded one of those pretty lakers. 
No more boats are built there, or at any of those places, except a fevr 
ugly looking scows to carry what little coarse freight is offered, at dif- 
ferent places where boats v/ere i)uilt, all had different models, and any 
experienced boatman, seeing one, could tell where she Avas built. 

Rochester was a noted boat building port. They were decked all 
over, and the decks were high, running from bow to stern, making 

29 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

them very handy to work upon. The Meyers Brothers built many of 
them. I piloted one of them for two seasons. Its name was "The 
Onward", owned and run by Delos L. Polley, who then lived in Carth- 
age, three miles from the city: now the city takes in the village and a 
long ways below. That spring the Meyers launched three other boats, 
the "Manchester", "Catawba", and "A. W. Scott". During that sea- 
son freights were good, and it was not uncommon for grain boats to 
clear one thousand dollars or more, besides expenses, on a trip, which 
usually took three or four weeks. They built many boats besides ball 
heads, called lakers. They were nicely modeled boats, but much 
heavier than the others. 

The Genesee Valley, Chemung, Black river and Chenango boats 
looked very much alike, and could run on all lateral canals. The 
Pennsylvania canal boats were a different model, but very pretty, 
and could run on all of the New York State waterways, and when 
freights were good in Buffalo many of them loaded at that port. 

The Delaware and Hudson canal coming into the river at Round- 
out was owned by a coal company as well as the boats navigating it. 
Those boats run all day and until twelve o'clock at night, when the 
lock gates were fastened until morning, except Saturday nights, when 
they were kept fastened until Sunday night at twelve o'clock. They 
could rim on the Erie canal, but not on the laterals, being too long to 
pass through the locks. The boats run on the Morris canal through 
New Jersey to Hoboken were different than any of the others. The>' 
were called double jointers, having two sections coupled together very 
closely; very nice in case one section should become disabled or sink, 
the other would be dry. This canal had no locks, but boats were 
hoisted and lowered by inclined planes. Boats were floated onto cars, 
then the cars slid up or down, according to which way they were 
headed, one section at a time, getting the power from a stationary 
engine. 

On the "long level", so called, as there were no locks from Syra- 
cuse to Utica. sixty miles, there were many boats built, all or nearly, 
all scows, mostly square bows and sterns, awkward looking, but good 
carriers of lumber. 

There used to be an old story that those boat builders, made the 
hulls by the mile and when a man wanted to piuxhase a boat, the}/ 
would saw off any length he wanted, plank up the ends, and his boat 
was ready. Durhamville, State Bridge and other places on the long 

30 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

level, were noted for boat building, as well as Oneida lake and all 
])orts on the Oswego river. Rome had a line running from there to 
New York City, also a railroad from Watertown, on Lake Ontario. 

The Black river canal ran from Rome on the Erie, to Lyons Falls, 
on Black river. Then the river was navigable to Carthage, some forty 
miles. The feeder was nine miles long from Forestport to Boonville. 
The canal was only thirty-six miles long, and full of locks. A line 
ran from Carthage to New York, called the New York and Black 
River Canal Line. The freight from New York was merchandise, 
and that from the Black river was cheese and lumber. The writer run 
a number of boats on that canal, the ''Northern Light" of Boonville. 
"N. Harris"', "Francis L.", "Arthur T. Collier", of Forestport. When 
the canal was first built a man by the name of Hulbert owned quite 
a number of wood boats. I think he built the Hulbert hotel at Boon- 
ville. His son owned a steam saw mill, four miles from that place. 
Mr. Hulbert senior owned a large tract of woodland that they cut off 
and shipped to Syracuse by his own boats. 

No fuel but wood was used in those days. It was before kerosene 
oil was discovered, and the canal was a great highway for transport- 
ing the commodity. Many boats were built for that purpose only, 
Genesee Valley boats to supply Rochester, Tonawanda creek had 
many boats running into Buffalo with wood, besides huge Canadian 
scows too large for locks on the canal, but towed by tugs to Canadian 
ports, loaded with hundreds of cords, just to supply the city of 
Buffalo. There were many poor women and children ready to pick 
up the chips and bark that fell from the wood while being tossed 
ashore. 

Many a "God blessing' I have received upon giving a poor 
woman a whole stick of wood. I have sold wood in the city of Utica. 
maple, eight and ten dollars per cord, and beech, six dollars, while 
limbs and soft w^ood went readily at five dollars. Now it is used no- 
where but in the country, and less and less even there, as manv 
farmers use coal and even gas in Western New York and Pennsyl- 
vania. In places where coal is being unloaded, or along the railroad 
tracks, it is picked up by poor people to-day as was the wood in olden 
times. So as Christ says, "the poor ye have with you always", and it is 
caused mostly by what? Intemperance. In my day I have had man}- 
ojiportunities of seeing poverty in its lowest dregs. 

I had many experiences while navigating the Black river canal, 

31 



REMINISCENCBS OF ROCHllSTER. 

and like the other waterways it had its fighting men, but I don't think 
they were as numerous and were not bulHes either, but minded their 
own business. But woe to the upstart that encroached upon their 
rights. I remember the PhiUips boys, good honest fellows. Allen, one 
of the brothers, did not allow any insults, and the man giving them 
soon saw the folly of his ways. There were others, but I haven't the 
space to enumerate them. 

The writer got the name of a fighting man once because he 
licked a man, and made him get on his knees and ask his pardon for 
an insult to a lady. After that the boat boys, when seeing his boat 
coming, would sing out, "Look out! there comes the bully of Black 
river", although that was the only quarrel or fight he ever engaged in 
on that water. 

I was christened by some the ''Black River Owl", as I never al- 
lowed any boats to get the start of me in the morning, for it was quite 
an object to be the first boat out of any port, as the locks were so 
close together. Seventy locks from Boonville to Rome, so a boat being 
ahead had the advantage of the lock tenders. No boat ran night and 
day, continually, but all of them ran late and early, although some 
would run all night, making it hard for horses and crews, as they had 
only one team and a day crew. The lock tenders had from one to six 
or eight to tend, so could not help but one boat at a time. 

The boats owned, built and run by men living on or near the canal 
all knew each other, and when tied up near together over night, or 
waiting for loads, or to discharge cargo, the crews would get together 
and visit, equal to a neighborhood on land. Sometimes a boat from 
some other canal would stray up the P)lack river for a load; they 
were called ''wild boats'', and would cause jealousy among the home 
boats. One of them was laid up for the night at Boonville with the 
writer's boat, both loaded and bound down the canal toward the Eric 
at Rome. The captain of the wild boat, while in the canal grocery 
of Nick Swineburgh, heard of Cai)tain Marsh being noted for starting 
out ahead. He made bets and bragged that I would never beat him ; 
I was told of it, then turned in for a little rest, and at two o'clock at 
night my crew was at their stations and the team on the towing path. 
Mr. Wild boatman heard me getting under way, and hustled after me 
as fast as possible, but I got my boat in lock seventy, two miles from 
Boonville, ahead of him. That made him so mad he would lock 
down, before my crew could open the lower gates of the next lock, 

32 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

making it slower work and hindering me. as well as himself, for he 
could not get by me in the locks. 

Boatmen all know that on those sliort levels, the boat behind 
should not lock down until the head boat is through the lock below, 
as it floods the level, sending the surplus water over the upper gates 
of that lock, causing delay. He kept doing this, however, in three 
locks, and at the fourth after I had opened the lower gates, his boat 
was on the level above. As the lock tender was gone I hoisted both 
lock paddles, and jumped on my boat, which was going out of the lock 
pretty fast. Well, I was not bothered any more with the "wild boat", 
for before the lock tender got down to shut the paddles, the water 
was drawn all off the level, leaving his boat in the mud. The lock- 
tender, who was my friend, did not fill the level very fast, and I never 
saw the wild boat man again, but on going back up the canal, the lock 
tender said he never stopped swearing until he arrived on the Erie at 
Rome. He never tried the Black river again. 

Freight that was shipped on the canal from Utica to Bingham- 
ton consisted mostly of coal. In its early days, like other waterways, 
it had its passenger and freight boats. Colonel Brown, with the 157th 
New York Volunteers, rode on it when starting for the seat of war. 

Considerable freight came from the Northern canal, running from 
Waterford to Troy. The boats were good carriers, suitable for canal 
or river. Boats secured their loads from commission merchants in 
Buffalo and other large ports. They were called scalpers by the boat- 
men, as they usually got as large commission as possible for getting 
loads for the captains, and the poorer the time the more some took 
advantage of it, and charged additional commission. Shippers of freight 
looked up those commission men, instead of themselves engaging the 
captains ; those agents advanced money to the captains to run their 
boats, and pay insurance, as all freight had to be insured, and generally 
the boat. 

For repair work the State built scow boats, manned them with 
captains and crews, who were under orders of the section superin- 
tendent, and a state carpenter, the canals were divided oft' in many 
sections, each with a superintendent and carpenter, and all under the 
state superintendent, chosen from the ranks of the party in power, 
from head superintendent to lock tenders, bank watchmen, captain and 
crew of the repair boats, and many times more for their political in- 
fluence than their ability to repair work. When the administration 

33 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

changed, the employees must change their poHtics or get out. About 
election time large forces were required to repair the canal and swell 
the votes. . When necessary the scows were used to convey voters to 
political meetings, but as both parties when in power did the same 
thing, they had no fault to find with each other. Those scows were 
built to be comfortable to live in, handy for their work, the crews con- 
sisting of captain, driver, cook and from six to eight men for crew. 

I have tried in a brief, and perhaps bungling manner to explain 
the old time way of transportation on our state waterways. It was 
slow freighting and traveling those days, compared to our present 
rate of rushing through the country, and some might think it tedious 
but it was not to those who loved their business, although there were 
many hardships, working in all sorts of weather, late and early, high 
freights or low, leaky and unseaworthy boats to run, and all sorts of 
help to contend with, made it many times discouraging; but to offset 
those bad features in the life of the waterman were pictures on the 
other side. 

A good boat and crew, good freights, and a man with his family 
on board is at home every night, and day, sailing quietly among green 
forests and fields, or viewing the cities and towns while passing 
through; the beautiful and ever changing scenery, like a dissolving 
view, is passing before his vision at all times. The sparkling waters 
of lake or river make a picture long to be remembered by a lover of 
the beautiful in nature, and after the voyage is ended, and the boat 
snug in its harbor, the freight collected, crew paid, then the hard 
earned money to be used for necessaries and some to spare for lux- 
uries or pleasures, in attending a theater or other amusements. Such 
a boatman is, or should be, happy, those pleasures would offset the 
liardships of the voyage. 

Those former days of boating are passed. Whether the few navi- 
gators of the new Barge canal, with its concrete locks, worked by 
electricity, and barges towed by steam instead of mules or horses, will 
have less work and hardship than our old boatmen did, remains to be 
seen, and will they sing the same old song as we did of old? 

The sun is no longer in view, 

The clouds have begun to frown, 
But with a good boat, a crew, 

We say let the storm come down. 

And this song we will sing one and all, 

While the storm around us pelts; 
Oh! a life on the muddy canawl, 
We don't want nothing else. 

34 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 



CHAPTER V. 

This story, true in every detail, commences in the city of Buffalo, 
the western terminal of the Erie canal. It was in the summer of 
1862, when our country was in the throes of that terrible Civil war. 
Boating at that time was the best it had ever been. Freights were the 
highest and all water crafts were running at their greatest capacity. 

The government was chartering many boats for use in southern 
waters, and much grain was being shipped to Liverpool from New 
York. From the West it came down the lakes to Buffalo on sailing 
vessels, and from there on canal boats to New York City. 

It was about sundown when two boats loaded with wheat were 
poling along the canal, side by side. The meaning of poling is, boats 
being propelled by men pushing with pikepoles in places where steam 
or horses cannot be used. The boats were left in the narrow canal by 
the tugs that had towed them from the grain elevator in Buffalo creek. 
The two steersmen on these boats before mentioned were doing the 
pushing, while the drivers did the steering, turning the tiller which- 
ever way the steersmen told them. Each boat carried two steersmen 
and two drivers, a captain and cook, making six people for a boat's 
crew. At the present day such a crew can manage two boats lashed 
together, and sometimes more, with a pilot house on one boat, and 
steered with a wheel like a vessel. 

Our two boats moved slowly along until the light boats moored 
on either side of the canal, blocking the channel; so our boats sep- 
arated, one dropping behind the other. The two captains had gone 
ashore to get their clearances, leaving their crews to manage the boats. 
They stopped in front of the canal grocery as ordered by their cap- 
tains. The head boat was named 'The Octoroon" of New York, run 
by Captain Dan Somers ; there was no woman for cook, but the other 
boat, named the 'Oriole'", had a beautiful woman to serve in that 
capacity, the captain's wife, Mrs. Ada Loverage. 

The boats were hardly stopped when the captains, who were good 
friends, arrived, bought groceries, put them aboard, untied their boats 
and dropped them below the grocery near the dry dock. After sup- 
per Captain Mark Toverage told his crew they had better turn in for 
a good night's rest, for they would start very early in the morning. 

35 



RhMlNlSCENCES OF ROCJI I'STV.R. 

A good many boats did that way, for it was quite dangerous get- 
ting down through Black Rock harbor, although the shi])pers thought 
the boats they loaded started immediately, as most of them did, es[)e- 
cially boats owned by a company or those run by hired captains. Cap- 
tains owning their own boats were more careful. Captain Dan came 
on deck, lighted a cigar, and said to the crew of the other boat, "Come 
on, boys, with us ; let's go down on Canal street to a dance house for 
a little while". 

He did not invite Captain Mark as he knew he would not g(j. 
They, being friends, always tried to keep their boats as nearly together 
as possible, although their characters were the opposite. 

Mark Coverage was a gentleman, and his wife a lady, and they 
moved in the best society in the city of Rome, Oneida county, while 
Captain Dan was fond of his whisky, and somewhat of a loafer or 
sporting man. "Come on, Hank Millions, let's have some fun", he 
says, beckoning to one of the steersmen aboard the Oriole. 

"No", says Hank, "I have no use for Canal street". "All right", 
says Dan, "be a saint if you want to; come on, boys", and he jumped 
ashore, followed by his crew. Ada who was seated in the hatch, 
gently clapped her hands and said in a low voice, heard only by 
Hank, he being near the stern of the boat, "Oh, I'm so glad !" Hank 
looked up, and seeing her, asked her why she was so pleased. "Be- 
cause I believe you are too much of a gentleman to disgrace yourself 
by going to such places." 

All who knew Buffalo at that time were aware that nearly all the 
habitations on Canal street were houses of ill-fame. "You and Jack 
are so much different," said she, "from all the other steersmen we 
ever had. You neither drink nor swear, and must have had better 
bringing up than most canal boatmen ; you keep yourselves well 
dressed and stay with us longer. Wt can trust you in port or afloat." 

"I appreciate your opinion," replied Hank, "and am glad we were 
not educated for loafers, and although I feel that your compliments 
are undeserved by me, I shall endeavor by God's help not to disgrace 
myself, or get lower in the scale of humanity than I now am." The 
captain coming aft just then, put a stop to the conversation. 

Henry Millions, usually called Hank, and his partner. Tack Need- 
ham, the other steersman, were dispositioned very much alike, quiet, 
good-hearted, temperate young men, rather a scarce article those days 
on the canal. Their tastes were similar, rather be reading when not at 

36 



ITS RARLY V.IN.IL PAYS. 

work than laying around public places, both about the same size, rather 
under medium, and altliough not quarrelsome, each had the courage 
to stand up for their rights or for the rights of their captain. Never 
were they known to back down when in the right or to be second 
best in a fight if it came to that. Although sociable, and apparently en- 
joying life, there was in each face a sadness of expression, as though 
some deep grief was ever present in their thoughts. Perhaps that was 
the reason for their being such good friends, being able to sympathize 
with each other, although they never confided their secrets, one to the 
other, if they had any. At this stage of the story they had been ship- 
mates but a few days. Hank Millions had been on the Oriole ever 
since she was laimched from the ways, brand new, in Rochester, 
where she was built. 

We give this extended description of the two steersmen, as they 
play a considerable part in this romance, one of them in particular. 
The crew of the Oriole was up early next morning and aroused the 
other boat's crew, but not easily, as they had been out nearly all night 
carousing. The boats were under way by daylight, and while waiting 
for the lock at Black Rock, the crew of the Oriole saw a woman on 
the Octoroon, apparently getting breakfast. Knowing that Captain 
Dan had no wife, they concluded he had hired a cook while ashore the 
previous night. When changing horses at 7 A. M., they ran close 
alongside of Captain Dan's boat, and saw a Aoung and pretty girl, 
officiating as mistress of the boat. 

Ada said, '"'Oh ! what a shame ! to have that young girl on board 
with those rowdies", and the rest of the Oriole's crew coincided with 
her opinion. Jack said to his chum, when changing tricks at the tiller: 
"If Captain Dan's cook was old and tough-looking, it would be all right, 
but to think he has got such a nice-looking girl is beyond my compre- 
hension." "Perhaps it's his sister," said Hank. "Well." responded 
Jack, "whoever she is, she apparently wants to be there." 

At Middleport, where the boats stopped to buy oats and groceries, 
they lay side by side, so the cabins were close together. Then what 
(lid Mrs. Loverage do, but start a conversation with the new cook, 
who she learned was about sixteen years old, and a farmer's daugh- 
ter, who lived in the town of Manchester, near Palmyra. She had 
been influenced by a girl some older to leave her home and go to Buf- 
falo; she did so under the pretense of visiting her married sister in 
Palmyra. After their money ran out they took the advice of a man, 

37 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

and fetched up on Canal street. They were young and rather wild, 
but as bad as they were, Canal street disgusted them, and the Man- 
chester girl thought she had better get away from there; she in some 
way came across Captain Dan, and hired out to cook on his boat. 
Ada coaxed the girl to leave that degrading position at the first favor- 
able opportunity, and go home. She promised to do so. The boats 
soon separated and kept apart until Rochester was reached. A crowd 
of boats was there, waiting their turn to be locked through. 

The girl came aboard the Oriole to see Ada, who still advised 
her to leave the Octoroon and come aboard the Oriole, until they 
arrived at Palmyra at her sister's ; she also made her realize her de- 
praved condition, and with tears streaming down her face, she prom- 
ised to do as Ada told her, but went back to her boat to avoid sus- 
picion. Captain Dan seemed rather pleased to think Ada would 
notice his cook. His pleasure was soon over, for at the lower lock 
at Brighton, his cook with her little bundle of clothes, jumped ashore 
and ran back up the canal. When the captain saw her, he told his 
crew to stop the boat below the lock and wait for him. He then 
started on the run after her. 

The Oriole was just coming out of the middle lock at Brighton. 
Ada, who was on deck and expecting the girl, told her husband to 
stop the boat and get her. The captain and his crew had heard from 
Ada the girl's story, and lost no time in obeying orders from his wife. 

Both steersmen jumped ashore with pikepoles, while the captain 
and driver stopped the boat and ran a plank ashore. Captain Dan had 
just caught the screaming girl, when steersman Hank came up and 
made him loosen his grasp. The captain then made a lunge for Hank, 
who promptly knocked him down. Jack came up to help his partner 
steersman, who said, "Get the girl aboard, I will attend to the cap- 
tain," who was knocked down every time he got up. 

Captain Mark then came up and put a stop to the fight. Captain 
Dan slunk away to his own boat, pretty well used up, cursing the 
Oriole's crew, Hank in particular, swearing he would get revenge 
some time. Thus ended the friendship of the two boats. 

The girl was cheered up and made as comfortable as possible, 
until the boat arrived at Palmyra the next day. The Oriole tied up at 
the dock, near the collector's office, which was a little west of where 
now stands Cleavland's Canal Grocery. Ada went with the girl to her 
sister's, which was not far from the canal. The sister had not heard 

38 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

that the girl had left home until informed of it by Ada. The wanderer 
asked her sister's forgiveness, and the sister in turn promised never 
to let the parents know but what she had been with her all of the time. 
It would have done no good, and made them feel very badly, to learn 
of their youngest's daughter's escapade, and undoubtedly they were 
always kept in ignorance of it. She was gone only a week, but never- 
theless had in all probability learned considerable in that brief time of 
human depravity. She tearfully parted with her benefactor, who 
tripped lightly back. to her tloating home, where she was welcomed by 
the whole crew, who looked upon her as superior to most of the human 
race; and was she not? How few there are in church or out of it 
that would care, or do, as did Ada Leverage. Many even, professing 
Christians, are too absorbed in their own affairs, or too dignified to 
throw out a helping hand. 

Christ says, "'I came to call sinners to repentance, not the 
righteous." Ada Loverage was one of His true followers, believed in 
helping the downcast and sinful, and in this case her efforts were 
crowned with success, for the writer lived some years in Palmyra and 
learned that this wayward girl married and lived happily with her hus- 
band, respected by ail her neighbors, who undoubtedly never heard 
of her experience. 




39 



REMJNlSCnXC'-S' OF ROCHFSTEP. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The crew's conversation for several days consisted chiefly of the 
events just narrated, and all were fearful that Captain Dan would 
seek revenge in some way on the Oriole's crew. Hank said Dan was 
a coward, and he could lick him, drunk or sober; all believed he was 
only quarrelsome when in liquor. He was considered among boatmen 
to be a fighting man, and bully, large of stature, but rather clumsy, 
while Hank was small, but very quick and apparently knew nothing 
of fear. One day as the Oriole was laying in a crowd of boats tied 
to the bank and near noon, both steersmen were below in their cabin, 
talking about the rumpus at Brighton and Jack says, "Ada is a true 
Christian to do as she did by the girl", while Hank says, "Yes, she is 
an angel". 

The captain being in the midship, near the hands' cabin, unob- 
served by the boys, overheard their conversation, and at dinner, sitting 
by his wife, kept feeling of her shoulder, greatly to her embarrass- 
ment, when she says, "Why; what are you doing!" "Oh!" says the 
captain, "feeling to see if your wings have started, for the boys say 
you are an angel ; if you are, don't fly away with one of them." You 
could have lighted a match on the boys' faces, and Ada says, "I ap- 
preciate your remarks, but if I run away with them, I fear I would 
be a fallen angel." Captain Mark was a noble, true-hearted man, with 
no feelings of jealousy, even if his wife was admired by his boat hands. 
We give this conversation to show the harmony and good fellowship 
among the crew of the Oriole. 

It was slow getting along that trip, as there were so many boats, 
they had to wait at every lock, there being but one lock at that time 
where now there arc two, side by side, and the outer, or heel path 
side lock, is long enough to admit two boats at a time, so three boats 
can lock now where but one could at the time of our story. They 
also have machinery at present to draw two loaded boats in the outer 
lock, a great help to the poor horses. 

Our good boat Oriole finally reached the long level between Syra- 
cuse and Utica, and one night about twelve o'clock, while Jack was 
steering ho heard a familiar voice sing out. '"Hold on abo\e, and take 

•^0 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

out a line, boats on the towpath" ! — an accustomed salute when there 
is some obstruction that stops navigation ; breaks, sunken boats, boats 
crosswise, or any other thing to prevent a clear passage. The boats 
slowly drop down close to the last one, then the crew of that boat, if 
the obstruction is to last long, go to sleep, leaving the other to keep 
watch until another comes in sight, sing out, "Hold on above", and 
when the approaching boat has stopped behind them. Then they, in 
turn would lop down to rest on deck, while the driver hitches his team 
nearby, and with horse blanket or old coat over him, falls asleep, and 
so it goes, boat after boat with their crews all asleep, except the last 
one to keep watch for the next one. When the obstruction ceases. 
and boats are running, the crews must keep up, or at least one of them, 
generally the steersman, on his trick at the tiller or wheel, must carry 
over the lines of boats going in the opposite direction, or keep their 
boats pried off the towing path, clear of the bank, so the coming boat 
can drop its line under the I)oat moored to the shore. They do which- 
ever way is most convenient. 

The stopping of the Oriole that night when ordered by the boat's 
watchman ahead, was near Dunbarton, and when the Oriole stopped a 
few feet behind the boat, her head light shone bright on the name and 
in large letters. Jack read "The Octoroon". "Well, Ed, how are you?" 
he sung out to the .steersman. "All right." said Ed, "I'm glad to see 
you, but I am afraid there'll be a hot time on the old boats to-morrow 
when our captain gets up, for he swears he will kill Hank if he crosses 
his path again."' "I agree with you'', said Jack; but their predictions 
did not come true at that time, for when the morning came Captain 
Dan, although not so familiar, greeted the crew pleasantly, telling 
Captain Loverage there was a serious break near Herkimer, the boats 
reaching clear across the nine mile level to Utica. and from there clear 
to where they were stopped, all headed for tidewater ; and as far back 
as could be seen from our two boats, others lined the bank, and before 
the break was repaired, they reached to Syracuse, entirely across the 
sixty mile le\el, all headed east, and as many more below Herkimer. 
bound west. 

At the time of this story, passengers traveled mostly by railroad, 
but about all freight was shipped by canal, even groceries of all kinds, 
coal, wood, and lumber, and all varieties of grain, on line as well as 
on individual boats. There were so many boats on the l'>ie canal at 
that time, if i)laced forward and aft. as sailors say. or as our boatmen 

^1 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

would say, "bow and stern", they would make a bridge, so you could 
step from one to the other, reaching from Bufl'alo to Albany. 

Some might think that story exaggerated, but it is not, for all boats 
on all New York state canals Avere registered, their name, hailing 
place, and length, so it was easy to figure up. Of course, they could 
not all be on the Erie canal at once, hundreds in tows on the Hudson, 
many lying in New York City and Buffalo, waiting for cargoes, or 
unloading in those terminals, as well as in all towns along the line 
of the canal, even warehouses outside the city and villages on coun- 
try roads, were built to receive or ship freight, to accommodate rural 
communities, and towns lying miles away from the canal. This is a 
little divergence from my story but 1 mention it for the benefit of the 
vounger generation, who can know only by history or by aged people, 
the immensity or workings of our inland waterways. You can now 
hardly trace their crooked pathways, and many do not know from the 
sight of their crumbling stones that they were the locks that lowered 
or raised the prettily painted boats. Sadly we will bid adieu to the 
past, to the crumbling, weather-beaten old warehouses, and locks, 
soon to be obliterated forever, and return once more to our two boats. 

Captain Dan that morning even made a bow to Mrs. Leverage. 
Avho was trembling while looking out of the window, expecting to hear 
quarreling, or see fighting, but she saw nothing of the kind, greatly to 
her satisfaction. During the day some of the boats ahead doubled 
up in some manner, so our two boats dropped ahead nearly half a 
mile, and the Octoroon lay alongside of an old sunken wood boat 
moored to the berm bank, more commonly called the heel path. Its 
crew consisted of captain, steersman, and driver, also a young girl, 
the captain's sister, as cook. 

They were Germans and all young, apj^arently twenty to twenty- 
five. The driver was considerably younger. They lived in or near 
Verona, on the sixty mile level. In that vicinity nearly all the inhabi- 
tants were boatmen, but these people knew but very little about boats. 
The captain had been coaxed into buying the old boat of a wood com- 
pany, and was to pay for it in wood boating, and this was his first 
trip, loaded for Syracuse Salt Works. The boat having been so long 
empty, had dried out, and being loaded so quickly before the seams 
soaked up, she sank. They had unloaded her deck, thus raising it from 
the bottom, so the upper cabin and works of the hull were above water, 
had borrowed pumps, and were pum])ing for dear life. 

42 



ITS EARLY CAN4L DAYS. 

Jack and Hank, having nothing to do, strolled on to the sunken 
craft and oiit'ered their assistance at the pumps, and as the captain's 
sister looked pleased to see their exertions, they pumped the harder : 
but they di^ not gain on the water much until Jack, who had had some 
experience with leaky boats, found some sawdust in an old abandoned 
ice house, which they threw around on the outside of the boat. It 
drew into the seams, thus stopping the leak. The pumps kept going, 
but in a short time they were heard to suck, which told them the water 
was out. Then the boys made themselves useful by building a fire 
in the wet cabin, mopping it up, and handing down dishes and other 
cabin fixtures to the girl, while she was smiling pleasantly at Hank, 
greatly to the discomfiture of Joe Gallus, the steersman of the wood 
boat, who it appeared was the girl's lover. When Jack went aboard 
the Oriole, he said, "You need never look for Hank any more, for the 
Dutch girl has captivated him. She cannot talk much English, but 
love needs no language to understand itself." 

In the meantime the captain of the Octoroon was getting filled up 
on poor whisky at a nearby grocery where liquors were kept ; he finally 
came reeling aboard his own boat, but noticing the Dutch girl, stepped 
onto the wood craft, passing Hank, who was trying the midship pump, 
and yelled out, "Say, you wood girl, don't you want a berth on a nice 
clean grain boat? I hain't got no cook". The girl's brother says, "Sir, 
my sister don't go on no boats, but her brother's" ! "Oh !" says Cap- 
tain Dan, "You need not get stuffy about it. you ." That 

started Hank, who says, "Shame upon you, don't you know any better 
than to insult those poor people, who have had such bad luck?" "Shut 
up, you whelp", says Dan, and made a lunge at Hank, who promptly 
knocked him down, then motioning to the wood boat's captain to grab 
him by the heels, he taking him by the shoulders, they carried him 
across the wood boat and slung him heavily on the deck of his own. 
He struck so hard, he laid there until his crew took him down into his 
cabin and Hank yells out, "Keep aboard your own boat; if you 
ever come near me, I'll kill you, if I hang for it". To avoid further 
trouble Captain Dan's crew, let go their lines and dropped the Octoroon 
below the wood boat, then the Oriole moved alongside of that ancient 
craft, greatly to Hank's satisfaction. 

Ada hearing of the trouble, went aboard the old boat to talk to 
the German maiden, although her English was rather limited, she 
smiled when kindly spoken to. and was profuse with her thanks to all 

43 



REMfAUSCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

members of the Oriole, and thought Hank was a hero for licking the 
big captain, as did her brother and the other spectators of the incident. 
The next day the owners of the cord wood sent a team to help tow 
the boat by the crowd of boats. Hank and Jack helped load the wood 
that had been thrown off. The captain wanted Hank to go with them 
to Syracuse and manage the boat. He could not resist the smiles of 
the Dutch girl, so asked the privilege of Captain Leverage to go, and 
as there would be but little to do, there being so many boats ahead of 
them to go through the locks, Captain Mark gave his consent, telling 
him he would probably make the tri]) to Syracuse, and then catch them 
by the time they reached I7tica. 

Ada was delighted; although she disliked parting with Hank, she 
thought he would be doing his duty to help those i)oor people who • 
were in trouble. Hank was a good boatman, and knew all the ropes 
while they were green at the business. Ada told her husband she 
could help some in the locks if their steersman failed to meet them at 
Utica. About the time the wood boat started the break was repaired, 
and boats were on the move, making it easier for the wood boat to 
navigate, as they met the boats, instead of finding them tied to the tow- 
ing path 

There arrived at Syracuse in about two days, unloaded and run 
back to Verona, where the boat's crew lived. Hank thought that Cap- 
tain .Swarts would hire him. he being such a good boatman, and dis- 
charge Joe (iallus; but instead of that. Captain Swarts and his sister 
moved off from the boat to their lionic. gi\ ing it back to the wood 
company, and recommended Hank as capable of running it. The 
owners oft'ered the job to him, but he did not want any boat without 
the captain's sister aboard. He offered to hire out to steer it, or take 
it himself, if he could hire Swarts and his sister to go with him, and 
said he would drop a line to Captain Lo\ercige that lie would not meet 
liim, and for him to get another man. 

ile did n(jl write, for he could ncjt persuade Swarls nor his sister, 
they had gotten enough of the boatsman's life. The girl Margaret 
wanted Hank to take the boat, so she could see him often. She told 
her parents what a hero he was, and how he had fought for them. 
They in turn persuaded him to sta\ ; their efforts, however, were fruit- 
less, much to the satisfaction of joe Callus. 

Hank bade them good-hve. the girl walked a short distance with 
Inm. and in JTokcn l-.nglish. the- tears coursing down her cheeks, said 

44 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

she would !ie\er forget him. and to oome and sec her every time he 
could. 

They kissed at parting, she to go home and smile on Joe Gallus. 
while Hank endea\ ored to. soothe a lonely heart, and build air-castles 
about the Dutch girl and himself, on his way to \'erona Station, where 
he took the train to Little Falls. He learned at the collector's office 
that the "Oriole" had not passed there, so he took the towing path on 
foot, and met her near Sandy Rankin's grocery ; but before he did. he 
passed the Octoroon underway, as she was ahead of the Oriole. Cap- 
tain Dan swore he would kill Hank if he was ashore, while Hank says. 
"All right, I am with you in the killing business." 

The Oriole's crew were glad to see Hank, as it was tiresome run- 
ning short-handed. He resumed his trick at the tiller, and nothing 
unusual happened until they locked into the Hudson river at Troy. 
They hired a tug to tow them to Albany, for the large steamboats tow 
for New York City. When the night's tow was made up, four boats 
abreast, four more hanging behind, and so on until all going down 
the river were made fast to one another, the head boats towing behind 
the steamboat with hawser • nmning from the outside boats. The 
Oriole was the right head boat, and fate or some other freak of cir- 
cumstances, brought the Octoroon the fourth and outside one with 
the other hawser. The crews chatted together and all thought there 
would be no trouble^ unless Captain Dan should get full of whisky. 

But as the steamer whistled, to cast ofT shore lines. Captain Dan 
walked aboard his boat rather unsteadily, and a flask was seen pro- 
truding from his coat pocket. \\'hen under way, the steersmen took 
their regular watches, although there was nothing to do except to keep 
a lookout, and when all was running well, the one on watch usually 
went to sleep on the deck box. This night Jack called Hank at one 
o'clock, then went below to his bunk, while Hank took his place on 
the box. The steersman on the Octoroon called Captain Dan at one 
o'clock also, for watch duty, as his other steersman had quit at Troy. 
Usually when there was but one steersman going down the river, a 
driver was pressed into the service of keeping watch, and nearly 
always in the after part of the night everyone was asleep. Even those 
supposed to be on v/atch were lying somewhere about the deck asleeji. 
and this steamer tow was no exception. 

Why Captain Dan did not have his driver called instead of him- 
self, was considered proof that he wanted to pick a quarrel with Hank. 

4.S 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

knowing that the after part watch was his. Tlie captain, after taking 
a good swig says to Hank, who was lying on the deck box of the 
Oriole, "Now is your time — come over and let's see who is the best 
man." Hank says, "I can lick you in about two minutes." Well, one 
word brought on another, the same as in all cjuarrels, calling names 
more forcible than elegant, until Hank got so mad, he ran over the 
other two boats to the Octoroon. As soon as Captain Dan saw him, 
he made a lunge for him. Hank dodged down, grabbing Captain Dan, 
and with all his strength pulled or pushed him to the outside of the 
boat, then with a mighty effort sent Captain Dan overboard. 

What a thought for Hank, when a few minutes had elapsed, and 
he had come to his normal senses, and fully realized the situation. 
He had drowned the captain, for he well knew no one could stay one 
minute in that rushing, whirling current, made l)y the steamer and its 
tow of boats. 

What to do he did not know, believing he would be accused of 
murdering the captain, as both crews had heard him say he would 
tix Captain Dan. He walked quietly back over the two boats between 
the Octoroon and Oriole. No one had seen the scuffle, for no one 
appeared to be awake on any of the crafts in their tow, and no lights 
except the headlight on each outside boat, and the red and blue lights 
on the tow boat. Day was breaking, and as Hank looked towards the 
shore he saw a bum boat, headed for the tow. These are large row- 
boats, loaded with all sorts of vegetables in their season, also milk, 
butter, and groceries, to sell to the boatmen on the tows. 

Why they are called bum boats, I do not know. They are run 
from groceries, and are on the watch for tows up or down the river. 
They fasten their lines to a cleat on a boat and tow along until all the 
boats in the fleet are visited for trade. 

Hank motioned for the bum boat to come alongside the Oriole-, 
which it did, and Hank says "I wish to get ashore and take the early 
morning train for New York, so as to find where to unload my 
wheat ; now what will you ask to row me ashore ?" The man said, 
'T could not do it, I would lose my trade." "I know it," says Hank, 
"but your profit on trade would not be over four or five dollars. Now 
I will give you ten to set me ashore, for it is worth that much to me." 
"Done," says the man. Hank quietly descended into the hand's cabin, 
took his pocketbook and a few trinkets, but left his valise and clothes, 
no one l)eing awake, he let go tlic painter from off the cleat, and slid 

46 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

aboard the bum boat. For the benefit of landsmen unacquainted with 
sea phrases, I will say that a painter is the rope fastening a small boat 
to a larger one. The man turned his boat shoreward, and Hank took 
his last look at the Oriole. He never saw her again, but branded in 
his own heart was the word, "INIurderer", one more victim to a bad 
temper. 

When he got ashore, instead of going towards New York, lie 
went in the opposite direction. The bum boatman thought of course 
Hank was captain, was glad to make such a good morning's work, and 
thought no more about it. Hank took the first train he could get to 
Albany, got his moustache cut off at a barber's, and tried to eat, but 
could get nothing down, but a cup of cofiFee. Not being a spendthrift, 
he had considerable money, so bought a suit of clothes, thinking to 
further disguise himself, but he could not rest eas}-, and kept walking 
around imtil he spied a recruiting office. He enlisted for the war, 
and before night he was on his way to ."^outh Carolina to ioin his 
regiment. 




47 



RRMINISCENCHS OF ROCHESTER. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Now comes another incident in Hank's life, which saved him 
much trouble in after years, especially when he applied for a pension. 
Henry Millions was an assumed name; a few years before our story 
opens, he had got into a scrape in the neighborhood where his people 
lived, not a very serious one, but having a high sense of honor, and 
being sensitive, he had left the home he thought he had disgraced, 
and changed his name. Now, thinking he was a murderer, and no 
one on the boats knowing of his first ofitense, or where he came from, 
he thought of the two evils he would choose the least ; so he took his 
own name, and kept it ever afterwards, but to save the readers getting 
mixed by names, we will still call him Hank Millions. 

We will not follow his military history, in fact, we could not do 
so if we would. His honorable discharge is proof of his having done 
his duty. From what we have heard he was foremost in danger, even 
to being reckless ; he did not seem to care much for life, rather re- 
served, but a good comrade. He kept a diary, and on many pages was 
written the name Margaret Swarts. the pretty Dutch girl of Verona. 
Only for thoughts of her, he would i)robably have gone mad with 
recollections of his terrible deed, and the excitement and hardships 
while engaged in legal murder, soothed his conscience some for his 
illegal murder on the Hudson river. \\'hen the war was over, he 
steamboated it on the Mississippi river, sailed on the lakes, but at all 
times he had a longing for his old home and the Erie canal, as well as 
to know the whereabouts of the Oriole and her crew. His greatest 
desire was to know about Margaret, whether she was married or was 
still single. 

The remorse of conscience kept him uneasy and unhappy, and he 
made up his mind to try the Erie canal once more. He being so much 
altered, getting gray, and older, he thought his companions of recent 
years would not know him if he met them. He went to Verona, hired 
his board, and those who had formerly seen him did not recognize 
him. 

He learned that Margaret's parents were dead, her brother had 
enlisted, went to the war. and had never returned. Joe (lallus had 

4S 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

never married Margaret, but some one else had ; no one seemed to 
know his name, but they had gone to Butfalo and run a grocery. Later 
accounts from neighbors said her husband had died and she was a 
widow. This was told them, they said, by some of the long level 
l)oatmen living near Verona. He was careful about getting his infor- 
mation, and to allay suspicion he pretended to be looking for a wood 
lot to purchase for the New York Central Railroad. Railroads at that 
time used wood for fuel. He left Verona, and fetched up in Buffalo, 
and walked the streets, hoping to meet his Margaret, not knowing her 
name or the street she lived on. He finally gave it up as a hopeless 
task, concluded he was foolish to think of her, and hnally bought a 
boat, loaded her with wheat, and started for New York. 

He was a boat captain now, although fearful of coming across 
some one who would recognize him; but being a lover of the water, 
he would run the risk. 

We will now leave Henry ]\Iillions and go 1)ack to the Hudson 
river tow of boats the night he left it, believing he was a murderer. 
During the fore part of that eventful night, unlieknown to the after 
watch on the boats, the steamer had stopped and hitched on to Cap- 
tain Dan's boat a small Chemung boat loaded with oats, consigned to 
different ports along the river, and had left their last unloading place 
to go to the next stopping point below. The crew of the oat boat 
being tired, and knowing the tow boat would whistle to wake them 
when the time arrived to cast off' at their stopping place, went below 
to rest what they could. As no danger of rain was expected, they did 
not replace their hatches covering the oats. Hank knew nothing of 
this, and of course concluded he had pitched Captain Dan overboard, 
when instead he had pitched him into the open hatchway onto the oats ; 
he was not hurt, only stunned a little, and when he had collected his 
thoughts he had the impression that he had sent Hank overboard, for 
he heard a splashing, or thought he did. at that time. What he heard 
must have been a long wooden fender, which got knocked over- 
l)oard, as there was one missing from Dan's boat, and in after 
years, when comparing notes, they concluded that was what made the 
splashing they both heard. 

The thought that he had drowned Hank somewhat sobered him. 
He crawled out of the oats, and gained his own boat, and seeing 
nothing of Hank was jn-oof enough of what had become of him. He 

49 



REMINISCENCBS OF ROCHESTER. 

crept quietly into his cabin, although not to sleep, his conscience wouM 
not let him. With fear and trembling he lay in his berth until late 
in the morning, pretending to be asleep, \vhen the one officiating as 
cook called him to Ijreakfast. He ate but very little, and going on 
deck, saw all the boatmen of the four boats gathered together in 
groups, talking about the disappearance of the Oriole's steersman. 
who had not been seen since the forepart steersman. Jack Xecdham. 
had left him sitting on the deck box of the (3riole. 

Then Captain Dan knew, he was a murderer. 'rrenil)ling he 
sought his cabin, took his empty tiask and threw it out of the window, 
and never afterwards did he touch a (jrop of intoxicating liquor. He 
saw that whisky had been his undoing, and had made him a murderer. 
He knew from his acquaintance with Hank, that he was a good, moral 
man, a gentleman, above him in all noble qualities, and himself a de- 
praved drunkard, and worse than all, a criminal. 

Reader, how many such cases do you know, or have heard of. 
where those devoid of any noble (lualitics, when in their drunken 
state, have murdered, maimed, or ruined those who are far above them 
in all the qualities pertaining to no1)ilily or humanity. There apjjears 
to be no law in nature to hinder a drunken loafer from ruining or kill- 
ing virtue, as well as vice, or a fool from killing a i^hilosopher. Captain 
Dan realized all that, and his remorse for ihc deed was terrible, as 
well as the fear of arrest, for he knew it could l)e ])n)ve(l that he had 
threatened Hank's life more than once. 

All the boats were searched, but no Hank was found. Suspicious 
glances were cast at Captain Dan, when it became known that those 
two had been on watch at the same time. Both boats' crews believed 
that Captain Dan had killed, and pushed Hank overboard. 'Hie other 
boats' crews had \arious opinions, when they had learned of the cir- 
cumstances, but as told to them, it looked suspicious for Caj)tain Dan. 

Ada, who always had so much charity for everybody, was sorry 
to lose their gentleman steersman. Everything looked as though Hank 
had been made away with by Captain Dan. Still, she wanted to think 
it was not so, and said "perhaps he had accidentally fallen overboard." 
They concluded he must have gotten into the water in some way, for 
they did not knew at that time of any wa}- he could have gone ashore, 
even if he had wanted to. Then, another thing, if in some way he 
had gone ashore unbeknown to any one, he certainly would have taken 
his valise, and books he had prized so highly. This was positive proof 

50 



ITS FARLV C..INJL DAYS. 

that Hank was in the bottom of ihc Hudson river. If he had had any 
relatives or influential friends, his disappearance would have been in- 
vestigated, but as no one seemed to know him except his shipmates, 
nothing was done about it. 

Captain Dan was questioned, and of course he knew nothing about 
it, and had not seen Hank when he came on deck at one o'clock for his 
watch ; he had lain on his deck box and slept until near morning, then 
seeing everything was running smoothly, he went l)elow and slept until 
called for breakfast. 

Captain Mark and his wife thought if Captain Dan was guilty 
his conscience would be an everlasting punishment, and so it was. 
Now in this case, as in all others, th.ere was all sorts of rumors, many 
inconsistent ones and others reasonable. One story was that Hank 
had seen someone who had recogni.Ted him as guilty of crime, and he 
had gone ashore on the oat boat, when it was known it had lain along- 
side. His clothes having been left overbalanced that theory. Then 
another, and lucky for Mark and his wife that they did not hear it, that 
the missing steersman had thought too much of Ada, making Captain 
Mark jealous, and he had pushed Plank overl)oard. All such stories 
tended to divert suspicion from Captain Dan. 

The two arrived in New ^"ork on time, and separated to discharge 
their cargoes in different slips; they did not go up the river together, 
and never afterwards were together as friends. When passing one 
another on the canal, their salutations were very brief. The crews of 
both boats were strangers, excepting Jack, v/ho stayed on the "Oriole" 
until she tied up for winter in Rome. That winter he enlisted for the 
war, had the usual perils and hardships of a soldier for three years, 
received an honorable discharge, and like a duck started for the water 
again. His voyages were on the Black river, and Erie canals, the 
Hudson river, then on the Genesee Valley canal. Finally, as business 
grew more slack and his boat getting old, he ran it only daytimes on 
short trips. He occasionally met Captain Mark Leverage, and when 
possible had a good visit with him and his estimable wife. Once or 
twice he met Captain Dan, who greeted him kindly, but he could not 
get over the belief that Captain Dan had murdered his friend and 
shipmate. Hank Millions. He, like Ada, had a large amount of charity, 
and believed his conscience would punish him enough if he was 
guilty, for he looked worn and dejected, like a man of sorrows, which 
he was. No peace of mind by day, and troubled dreams by night. 

51 



RRMLYISCJINCES OF ROCHFSrER. 

It made a man of him, however. He married one of his school- 
mates in his native village in Pennsylvania; he was kind, temperate, 
and a devoted husband. Xo one in his home town knew of his bad 
habits, or of the circumstances we have related. His wife accompanied 
him on his boating trips, and never knew of the secret gnawing at his 
heart, unless he, in after years, re\'ealed it. 




52 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

After the curioiis, and wc might say mysterious events we have 
related, we will proceed to narrate what once more brought them to- 
gether, producing a joy to their poor, tired souls that they never ex- 
pected to experience again. Hank, during his boating days, like all 
boat captains, had to have hired men to assist him, and among them 
was a steersman who knew where the grocery was, that was kept by 
Margaret, but had not seen her since her husband died. His name 
was Miller. Hank \^as happy at this news, and immediately got ready 
to find her, thinking she must still be a widow, and his chances would 
be good, by the way she appeared when last he met her. He would 
tell her his terrible secret, thinking, of course, she would never divulge 
it, for was not the whole trouble on her account, or mostly ? So when 
his boat was fast to the dock in Buffalo, and he had left his clearance 
at the collector's office, he lost no time in walking the whole length of 
Ohio street. His steersman knew the street, but not the number. 
The only grocery he came across by the name of Miller was rather a 
dirty looking place, the sign leaning against the house as though the 
occupants were too lazy to nail it up to its original place. It read, 
"Grocery by Mike Miller". The place did not look very inviting, but 
our hero concluded she was poor and could not have things any better, 
and, if it was ^largaret, he would m.arry her, put his money in the 
business, and they would have a first-class grocery, paint the old 
tumble-down building; many more such air-castles ran through his 
head ere he concluded to enter, as his time was getting precious. So, 
with a beating heart, he opened the door, and was greeted by the yells 
of half a dozen children, dirty and half dressed, and a slovenly red- 
faced woman, sorting potatoes, with sleeves rolled up showing grimy 
arms. The whole place looked like a pig pen, with a strong smell of 
stale beer. 

Hank made a bow. that the woman did not seem to notice, and 
said he would have a cigar. She yelled out to one of the ragged boys 
to take her place at the potatoes, while she went to the bar-room. Hank 
passed through the door on the customer's side. There were a few 
rough-looking men in there, who were playing cards or dice, with half 
emptied glasses of beer on their table. 

53 



RFMiyiSCnNCFS OF ROCHFSTFR. 

A good many city groceries had bars allached, with a partition 
between. She handed him a cigar, which he hghted. and walked out 
into the other room, she following, after serving beer to the men at 
the table. Hank was doubtful about this being his spruce little Dutch 
girl of the wood boat, so he plied her with questions, saying "Is your 
name driller?" "Yosh, it once vosh." "Well." says Hank, "you re- 
mind me of some one I once knew years ago," which she didn't. "Did 
you ever live in Verona?" "Yosh, I vosh horned der." "What was 
your name them?" "Margaret Swarts. Meester. Vat yoos vant to 
know fur?" 

This was a stunner to Hank, his knees got weak, he could have 
been knocked down with a feather. He was so flustrated he could not 
say anvthing, until iinallv he mimibled out that she reminded him of 
someone he had seen in Rochester, and to draw her from her inquisi- 
tiveness. he ordered bread and a peck of potatoes, which she promptly- 
set about preparing for him. smiling the while. He said at parting, 
he should remember where to find such good cigars, although the one 
.she sold him sickened him, before he threw it into the gutter outside. 
His purchase of the groceries made her look pleased, and Hank .says, 
"It must be hard for you to tend store to support your children, with 
no husband." She looked up surprised and said. "I done cot von 
allreadys. He ish Dick Blum, a dock wappler", meaning dock 
wallaper. or more properly known as stevedore, one whose occujiatiou 
is to load or miload vessels in port. 

Hank waited to hear no more, but made a hasty retreat with his 
bag of potatoes under one arm, and bread under the other. He felt 
sick, whether it was the knowledge he had received, or the filthy oigar, 
he did not know, but when out of sight of the grocery, he gave the 
bread and potatoes to a hungry looking boy who must have thought 
him crazy or else drunk, but ran ofif with them in the direction of the 
grocery. Our hero was badly put out with the knowledge that his 
pretty little Dutch girl had evoluted into that slovenly beer seller. He 
could have seen the comical side of it had it not been for the tragedy 
brought about through his defense of the girl. He could not help 
being amused, howeAer, to think how his matrimonial hopes, which 
he had cherished for so many years, were blasted. Even had he found 
her a widow, she was too tough for him. He was disgusted with 
himself in his musings to think he was a murderer for championing 
such an object as she now ai)i)cared to be. "Well," he thought, "1 mu'^t 

54 



nS n.-lRTA' C.IXAL DAYS. 

make the best of il. hut T wonder what Jack Xeedham would say if 
l-!e conld see her now, or tlie other niemhers oi the ijood hoat Oriole." 

Such thou£?hts made him laugh aloud, makinc^ a passing police- 
mar think he was drunk. He went aboard his boat, and kept secluded, 
read newspapers and books, going out but little, as his shippers knew 
where his boat lay, and could send for him when they wanted to ship 
a load by him, as freights were low and scarce. 

We will now leave him, and hunt up Captain Dan, who had pros- 
pered in the boating business, and at present owned two good new 
grain boats. Boating had been getting poorer all of the lime, as new- 
railroads were being built. Captain Dan, being now temperate, and 
having a good, prudent wife, liad acquired considerable property, so 
had concluded this season would be the last of their boating days. 
'Ihey had bought in their native town in Pennsylvania a nice home. 
He had promised his wife that he would sell their boats, and settle 
down for the remainder of their days. vShe had wished him to do .>o 
before, but the water held a fascination for him, especially the Hudson 
river. 

She had never heard of his trouble with Hank Millions, and no 
rumor of the tragedy or of his intemperance, had ever reached his 
childhood's home. He had always been a kind and devoted husband, 
honest and temperate, but she had noticed that he was often 
melancholy, especially on the Hudson river, and had urged him not to 
lake any more freights to New York, as she had concluded tlie ri\er 
liad a depressing efifect upon him, which she could not understand. 

The day before the events now to be recorded, Captain Dan's two 
!)oats arrived in Buflfalo, and as freights were scarce and he would be 
obliged to wait several days before he could expect a load, he paid off 
his crew, excepting one man. His wife thought this a favorable oppor- 
tunity to visit their home in Pennsylvania. So early the next morning 
■^he took the Lake Shore road for her destination. 

Captain Dan was left alone with his unhappy thoughts, and al- 
though prospering financially, there seemed no rest for his troubled 
mind, which was more active when not employed with work or busi- 
ness. He was getting old and gray, life did not seem to be worth the 
living with that terrible shadow still hanging around him. He could 
end it all, by stepping to the side of his boat, jumping off, thus getting 
the same death he gave his victim, twenty-eight years before. He 
hastily dismissed that idea when he thought of his faithful companion. 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

Strolling down town he bought a newspaper, returned to his boat, 
went down into his cabin, and after perusing it awhile, dropped 
asleep on the locker, when something slid alongside of his boat, jarring 
it considerably. He went on deck and saw a tug going u]) Buffalo 
Creek ; he also heard a splashing close by. looked in the direction, and 
saw a man struggling in the water. 

It took but a moment to grab a loose wooden fender with a rope 
attached, sling it in reach of the drowning man, who grabbed it, and 
Captain Dan towed him to the stern of his boat, where he grabbed 
the rudder blade and climbed aboard. He was not hurt, only strangled 
somewhat, and nimbly stepped onto the boat's deck, and confronted 
Captain Dan, who jumped back and came near falling down, giving a 
surprised exclamation of "Oh! My God!" The rescued man stopped, 
glared at the other, and spoke about the same words. Captain Dan. 

who trembled all over, muttered something about 'You look like ," 

then checking himself, he stared at the man he had saved, who in turn 
stared at him ; both now unable to speak. 

Twenty-eight years had passed since they had met face to face, 
and although much changed, each knew the other-, or thought they 
did. The suspense could not last forever. Captain Dan says, "You look 
like, like, one dead, like Hank." "\\'ell, I am. Hank, but in a night- 
mare, or seeing a ghost." 'Well, I'm no ghost," said Captain Dan, 
"but you are," as he reeled around like a drunken man, and grabbed 
Hank by the arm to see if he really was flesh and blood. Then, feeling 
fimny, he says, "Well, old boy, you are here all right, but you came 
up a darned long ways from where you went down." Hank who be- 
gan to realise that it really was Dan in the flesli still, blurted out, 
"Well, Dan, it appears you got out in time to save my life." 

Then they grabbed each other, shook hands, shouted, and I don't 
know but they kissed one another, and those two stout able-bodied 
men actually cried and shed tears of joy. Their hearts were lighter 
than they had been for many a year, while the lone boatman on board 
Captain Dan's boat, believed they had both gone stark mad. No one 
can imagine their feelings, unless placed in similar circumstances. It 
was the sudden reaction from sorrow to happiness, upon learning they 
were innocent of murder. The dark cloud hanging over their lives 
had been dispelled. 

Reader, will not that same feeling come to us all in a more or 
less degree, according to our sins, when we stand before the .Supreme 
Judge of all, and have him say. "Your sins are forgiven." 

56 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

^^'ill not the brief history of those two men be a lesson to us all 
to keep temperate, and strive to control our bad tempers. How they 
suffered, and many others have suffered, and will continue to do so. 
if slaves to intemperance by strong drink or passions. Be a true fol- 
lower of the lowly Jesus and no tempter, or temper can harm you. 

Our two heroes then narrated their different experiences on that 
memorable night on the Hudson, when each thought they had mur- 
dered the other, and their miraculous escapes. Although neither of 
them had ever experienced religion, they felt like kneeling down and 
thanking their Heavenly Father for freeing them from their terrible 
bondage, by his great and sovereign power. Both Captain Dan and 
Captain Hank now believed some good had come from that never to 
be forgotten night's adventures, for it had eflfectually cured Dan of 
drunkenness and other debaucheries. Hank never had the appetite for 
drink or other debasing habits, thus avoiding much trouble. His tem- 
per had gotten him into the aforesaid difficulty, and he knew it, there- 
fore he broke himself in a measure from its baneful influence. He 
once tried to drown his trouble in drink, but as he had no acquired 
habit, he did not succeed. Here is a case, where the same thing pro- 
duced opposites. Dan quit the habit through remorse, while Hank 
would commence it for the same reason. 

Our friends, as we must call them now, stayed together that after- 
noon, supped together or as fashionable people call it, had dinner, at 
the best eating house in Buffalo. Late in the evening Hank left Cap- 
tain Dan and returned to his own boat, some distance up the creek, 
where he found his only man worrying at his long absence, fearing 
he was drowned as the tug men told him he had got on their boat 
when leaving the foot of Main street. As he was not with them then, 
he must have fallen off or jumped ashore when near some dock. He 
came aboard the tug in this manner. 

He was on the wharf where the shipping offices were at that time 
located, below the foot of Main street. Those shippers charged a 
percentage on all freight they secured for boatmen, who called them 
"scalpers", and I presume the name was well applied. When Hank 
learned the tug was going by his craft, he stepped aboard, and sat on 
the stern unnoticed, as the crew had gone forward. The jar caused 
by the tug hitting Captain Dan's boat, was what threw Hank into the 
water. Who can say that it was not by the hand of Providence? To 
think that he would be dumped at that particular spot is one of the 



RliM/X/SCliXCl-S Of RiK HI-STl-R. 

mysterious things about it, and of the thousands of ])eo])le around the 
docks in Bufifalo. the one to save his Hfe was the one he thought he 
had murdered. Saved by a fender, similar to tlie one knocked over- 
board, the splashing of which meant so much to each. It was a singu- 
lar coincidence. 

We will now rhange this drama, or su])poscd tragedy to a comedy. 







^^S^ 


W^^^^H 


^K^^Lm 




Bi^^^ 




Iw 


•* '^ .:. . ' . - io. i '"" "^'Jp^^^^^H 


li^HHB^''' 


^:'^J■H■ 



ISE OF THE OLD B( 



58 



ITS P.ARLV CANAI. DAYS. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Dan and Hank were together the greater part of tlieir time now. 
taking their meals together, either on their hoats or at some city eating 
house. 

One (kiv an amusing thought came to Hank, so he asked Dan 
to go with liim along (3hio street. an<l when opposite the Miller 
grocery, asked his companion to come in and have a smoke. Captain 
Dan consented, but after entering, he thought Hank not as fastidious 
as formerly. Margaret was behind the counter, and ujion seeing Hank 
she burst out in a hearty laugh, making her appear more hideous than 
ever. Then she said, in her peculiar dialect. "Fat for y(ju"s git drunk ? 
ha! ha!" "'^'ou arc mistaken," said Hank. "I never drink liquor.'' 
"Den I tinks you pe one pig crazv; >on gif my poy Shoir j^otaties, 
und breads, I lays oop faw yoos,." and reaching under the counter she 
l)roduced the identical packages he had bought of her, and given, as he 
supposed, to the hungrv-looking hoy. l»ut instead to ^ilargarct's own 
son. 

The transaction was so comical. Hank in turn had also to laugh. 
causing Dan to think him on good terms w-ith the grocery woman, and 
undoubtedly where he purchased his boat supplies. As there was 
no one in the tap room, they sat down, while Margaret began her con- 
versation again with 1 lank and seemed ])leased to get the trade of such 
well-dressed gentlemen. 

"I had a man working for me once," says Hank, "who knew you 
when you lived in \'erona". "\'ats he name?" says she. That was a 
stunner, but Hank sa}s, "1 forget his name. l)ut he said xou had a 
sweetheart by the name of Joe Callus. Can you tell me where he is" : 
"Oh ! he killed. Cot shooted in le pig wars : he no lof me. 1 le no coot 
at all at all." "There was another one, my man says, helped i)ump out 
your boat, then went to Syracuse." "Ha! ha!" laughed Margaret. "I 
tinks me knows heem ; pig fool too ; no takes boat, caze I woont go. 
No brains, ha! ha!'' This staggered Hank, who said, "Didn't he get 
into a fight on your account?" "Oh, ya ! He von pig divil. Trow 
heem on hees own boat all no notinks, all drunk, ha! ha! ' 

Hank got uj) and started for the door, while Dan followed him. 
59 



REMINISCENCES OE ROCHESTER. 

liardly knowing what to think of it all. PTe almost came to the con- 
clusion, that for Hank's own good he might better have remained 
dead, as he supposed he was. INlargaret picked up Hank's bread and 
potatoes and told him to take them, which he did, but threw them 
away again after finding a suitable place. He then told Captain Dan 
who Margaret was, making another surprise. "To think," says Dan, 
"of that woman being the innocent cause of nearly all our troubles." 
"There are two more causes." says Hank, "Poor whisky and bad 
tempers". 

Reader, what trou1)le, quarrels, and murders, have been caused 
by those two agencies. 

One day, after the occurrences just narrated, Jack Needham 
came to Buffalo, looking for a canal boat suitable for his business, as 
his old one was worn out. 

It being about noon, he went into a nice-looking eating house on 
Main street, and when nearly through his dinner, two well dressed 
gentlemen passed him and took seats at a vacant table. They seemed to 
be in very friendly conversation, which Jack took but little notice of, 
until he began to recognize something in their voices which sounded 
familiar. Then, looking in their direction, he saw^ Captain Dan and 
to his great amazement, sitting beside him, was his old friend and 
shipmate. Hank Millions. 

It seemed more like a dream, as he listened, and soon knew it 
surely must be Hank; although considerably changed, he knew his 
voice, so jumping up, he walked over to their table, and said, as he 
grabbed Hank by the arm. "Is this your ghost? Has the day of 
resurrection come? At all events, the days of miracles have not 
ceased. Say, old boy," said he, seizing Dan by the shoulders. "When 
did you fish Hank out of the river"? He made this expression in his 
excitement, little knowing at that time that Dan had really fished him 
out. Captain Dan said, as he in turn, grabbed Jack, "You know w^hat 
it says in the Bible, 'Cast your bread upon the waters, and after many 
days it will return unto you" ". "Yes," says Jack, "but Hank isn't 
bread, he is meat, but is probably turned to fish now. Got any scales?'' 
and he rubbed his hand across Hank's shoulder. "Well," says Hank, 
"I may have scales on my body, but they have fallen off my eyes." 

"Yes," says Dan, "ever since he found Margaret." 

"What about her?" says Jack. "Oh, we will tell you after you 
have eaten dinner with us. ' "I have already eaten, thank you," says 

60 



ITS EARLY CANAL DAYS. 

Jack. "It makes no difference, you must eat with us," which he did, 
to the discomfort of his digestive organs. His attention was occupied, 
listening to the rehearsal of each of their strange tales, till at last the 
dinner was eaten, probably much to the satisfaction of the waiters. Our 
heroes shook hands again and again, and sauntered down to the boats 
of Dan and Hank, that were now moored side by side. 

On the way down to the waterfront, they passed Margaret's 
grocery. They had told Jack who she was, and while they walked 
slowly along. Jack stepped into her place, and bought a cigar, and 
as a purchase of any kind made her very sociable, Jack says, "Did two 
well-dressed gentlemen stop here yesterday and purchase cigars and 
one took potatoes and bread he had bought a few days previous?" 
Margaret laughed and said, "Oh ! shoor and he did. "Did you know 
them?" says Jack. "Yash, me tinks dey pig fools, funny fools.'" 
"Yes," says Jack., "they were not responsible, however, for they had 
just escaped from a lunatic asylum." "Och ! an me taut so" ! says 
Margaret, convulsed with laughter. 

Jack took his departure, and after catching up with his com- 
panions, he told them of his conversation with the grocery woman, 
which made them laugh heartily. Dan says, "she is right, we w^ere 
both fools," and Hank replies, "yes, it makes the old saying true, 'Chil- 
dren and fools tell the truth' ". "I don't agree with you there," says 
Jack, "she knows enough to make money and support her children, 
with probably a worthless husband. I don't know how you fellows 
are situated, but T have nothing to brag of". Dan says. "Yes, boys, 
that women in her ignorance is smarter than we are, for she has ap- 
parently filled her station in life honorably, while we, considering 
ourselves superior, have fell far short of it." 

Then said Hank, "That is so, but as we cannot now help the 
past, we will take it as a lesson and do better in the future". Jack 
stayed with his old shipmates that afternoon, and slept on Hank's 
boat that night, and with many a handshake parted with them next 
morning, and never saw them again, although he frequently heard 
from them. 

Dan ran his boats until the canal closed that season, then sold 
them, and with his w-ife moved to his farm near Erie, Pa. Hank and 
Jack ran boats a few years longer, but never happened to meet so as 
to see each other. When passing, it was in the night, or else one or the 
other laying in dock. Boating had begun to be unprofitable business. 

61 



REMINISCENCES OF ROCHESTER. 

Less freights every year, until short trips, and lightering in New- 
York harbor was about the only place where could be found business 
f(3r boats. Hank quit dreaming of the Dutch girl, and married a nice, 
respectable lady of his own town, living a happy life on his boat, en- 
gaged in lightering around New York, when he could find work, com- 
bining business with houseboating. Jack finally gave up the business, 
but as he was always fond of the water, he like a duck waddles down 
to some lake or to some river flowing towards the city of Rochester, 
;ind has the time of his life in a rowboat or motor boat. Even like a 
frog, he would be happy on a log, if boats were not available. 

Cajitain jVIark Loverage ran boats a few years after that trip of 
curious e\ents on the Hudson. He sold the Oriole, and went to 
Nebraska, where by honesty and ability, he secured places of trust and 
for a number of years was sent to the Legislature of that State, his 
wife, Ada, filling faithfully and gracefully her i)art in the drama of 
their livc'=;. 

And now when bidding my readers good-b}e. I would say, for 
aught I know every one of the principal actors in this strange story 
are living yet. or they may be all dead, except the writer. It is hardly 
possible that they are all living, for they are all past the three score 
}'ears and ten. 

Alive or dead, God bless, and be with them, till we meet again-^ 
on this, or Eternitv's shore. 




62 



LIBRORY OF CONGRESS 

111 



'llilllllll'iiiiifn!,*;, 

014 107 861 6 



Democrnt and Chroniilc Print, 
Koilioster. N. Y. 



